Half-Blood High
by wisegirl9876
Summary: "Just-just leave me alone Jackson." she shivered as she felt his hot breath on her earlobe, her hands trapped in a steel grip above her head by him. "Why Chase?" he purred, pushing her against the dark wall in the empty hall way. "Are you scared?" Boarding School, High school rivalry and a murder in the dark. Percabeth!
1. Chapter 1

**Half-Blood High**

 **Hello amazing people of fan fiction! Hope you're all having a great day!**

 **So grade eleven starts this Monday and I'm sooo nervous. Those texts are** _ **thick**_ **.** _ **Really thick.**_

 **But any way, moving onto the story. It deals with High school and a murder mystery. I haven't finished typing it out yet but I do have the second chapter complete (Updates solely relies on your Reviews , people. So go to that big box at the end of the page and start filling in your thoughts!** **)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do** _ **not**_ **own Percy Jackson or the characters in the series. Obviously. (In my best Snape impression.)**

 **They are, sadly, the property of Rick Riordan.**

 **And of course please don't forget to Review and Follow/Favorite. Even a single review goes a long mile.**

 **~0o0~**

"Have a nice term Miss. Chase!"

"Thanks, Argus. Take care." chirped the blonde haired seventeen year old, lugging her suitcase from the back of car and adjusting the strap of her worn out pink backpack. She gave a quick wave as her trusted chauffeur drove away down the dirt road, his bespectacled face grinning at her in the rearview mirror.

She felt free. A sudden warmth spread across her chest as she watched the car steadily pull away from her; a visual metaphor of the memory of the life she had led this past summer, the days filled with boredom and the constant reminder of her uselessness. The inevitable reminder of her being a mistake…

 _School again._ Annabeth thought, a melancholy smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she turned on her heels. She stood still for a moment, staring at the words carved on the grey, ancient slab of stone which stood erect on the grassy ground, the letters peeking out from behind a thin foliage of mild dew and vines.

 _Half-Blood Academy_

 _For the young and gifted._

She turned to face the looming castle behind her, something right out of a 1960's horror movie. It stood ominously in the darkening sky behind, its four towers jutting out like blown out candles on a birthday cake, still as dark and damp as it had been a hundred and fifty years ago when it was built by the last lord of the land.

A cold breeze rustled the leaves in the nearby trees, the promise of a rainy night strong in the looming dark clouds that was softly rumbling overhead in the sky. Annabeth shivered and pulled her jacket tighter and so did most others around her; all of them back for a new term.

"Annie!" a voice cut through the chill air. A few people turned around to look at her best friend, Piper Mclean, her brown choppy hair flying behind her, as she raced down the dirt track towards the blonde. Annabeth let go of her suitcase as Piper flew into her arms and knocked the wind out of her.

"Missed you too, Pipes." she chuckled warmly and readily returned the hug; the knot of nerves in her stomach slowly uncoiling. Piper had been on vacation with her dad in Spain this summer and therefore communication between the two had been sparse, especially since Annabeth herself had been busy designing and fixing blue prints. It was a simple idea of a house, _'A rather poor attempt for an amateur.'_ her mother had sneered while stacking piles of paper and answering her cell every five minutes, the everyday lifestyle of the CEO of the most successful architect company in the country oozing out of her demeanor.

They walked back to the castle together, Piper chattering the whole way about her days in Spain, studiously avoiding any questions of her friend's summer; they both knew it was nothing good. Annabeth listened in silence, a small smile growing on her face as she drank in the sight around. The lake was spread out on her right, its water dark and swirling as the wind picked up and the sky grew cloudier. To her left was a clump of evergreens and oak which continued for about a hundred feet before it was swallowed up by the forest. They played capture the flag there; teaming up to kick the opposite team's butts and stealing their flag. More often than not it was just a perfect excuse to extract revenge for any slights that had occurred. _Sorry I hit you with my spear, Brittany. I swear this has_ _ **nothing**_ _to do with you making out with my boyfriend last week!_

She could hear the neighing of horses in the distances and fought the urge to run to the back of the castle where the stables were located. Her buddy Porkpie would be there, eating clumps of carrots and flirting with that mare called Buttercup on which she was positive he had a crush. Yes, she knew she was weird, thank you very much.

"Annie? Are you listening to me?" Piper's voice shook her out of her musing. "Annabeth!"

"What? Of course I was listening!" she adds offended as Piper's multi colored eyes narrowed. "You were talking about the…the…"

"Yes?" Piper crossed her arms, pausing on the tall stone steps that led to the castle entrance, her choppy hair wiping around her face and her eyebrows nonexistent as it shot up to her hair line and was covered by her fringe. It wasn't a good look on her friend's face, Annabeth wanted to say. Piper really did have nice eyebrows.

"…..about the….Basilica!"

Piper rolled her eyes and huffed "We were on the beach! I didn't even mention any Basilicas, not that there _is_ anything to mention. They were big. They were crowded. I spent about two whole hours in front of one before taking the next taxi to the Barceloneta beach. And no, Annabeth" Piper added as she spotted the indignant look on her friend's face. "I did not give a shit about the architecture or the size of the bloody… dome. I'm not the one nut on buildings. That's you."

Annabeth scowled a little and Piper, rolling her eyes, grabbed the handle of the suitcase from the blonde's hand and dragged it behind her as she marched into the castle. Annabeth childishly stuck her tongue out and after dithering for a moment, followed her friend up the steps into the warm forum, as did the rest of the population wandering outside at some point in the night.

 **~0o0~**

"And done!"Annabeth whooped, spreading her arms around as the last of her shirts were tucked neatly into the cupboard and fell onto her bed, her fingers curling around the soft material of the grey sheets. Piper was lounging on her own bed, staring absently at the blue ceiling, her packing already finished in the afternoon.

"Great! Now let's head down to dinner." The brunette leaped from the hot pink sheets that she had haphazardly tucked in under her mattress and made to the door.

"Where's Hazel?" Annabeth asked following Piper, glancing at the third and final bed in their dorm. The sheets were made and she spotted the said girl's watch lying on the bedside table, the diamonds sparkling softly in the soft light of the room. The lights flickered suddenly as thunder rumbled and rain fell outside in a heavy blanket, causing water to spray in through the open window by Annabeth's bed. The blonde quickly closed it and through the glass spied the drenched students below on the grounds, all shrieking and running inside.

Piper shrugged. "No idea. She was headed to the lake to sketch when I spotted you through the dorm window. You know how she is with that sketch book of hers. Probably at dinner by now."

"Let's hope." Annabeth said, glancing nervously at the window, as the wind picked up and a howled throughout the castle, the trees shaking furiously. "She _does not_ want to be out there right now."

They made their way down the spiral staircase with the other students, all of them chatting and thinking of a hundred different things but all united in the same short term goal: dinner.

Annabeth's dormitory was situated at the top of the west tower. There were four towers in the castle, each named after the direction they represented. On your first day at Half-Blood High you were assigned your dorms. It was a random decision and probably had no other reason than to use up the sleeping spaces but over the years there developed an unspoken competition between the residents of the four towers. The East had the best swordsman, the south the best artist. Annabeth was pleased that she had put her own tower on the map by scoring the highest in her batch since her arrival. Earlier it was some guy named Felix from the north tower who had held that spot.

The cafeteria was noisy and smelled absolutely delicious. Annabeth crossed her fingers in the hope of finding her favorite dessert on the menu tonight: Chocolate Éclair.

They found their table and a couple of others from her dorm settled down with them. It was again an unconscious move where different towers had their own spots. Of course there were plenty of tables where people from different towers mingled, usually in the middle of the cafeteria and usually couples. But the rest just tended to sit in their corner of the room, finding comfort in the company of their dorm mates.

"What's up _girlitas_?" Annabeth face broke into a grin as she turned to face her slightly crazy friend, Leo Valdez, who had plopped down next to her, his plate piled high with sausages. Leo was insane and proud of it. She respected him for that. Plus he was a bloody good mechanic and absolutely fantastic with his hands.

"Same ol'. Same ol'." Piper replied before taking a bite of her tofu sandwich. "Where's Jason?"

"I'm hurt!" Leo whimpered, placing his hand above his chest in passion, his face filled with mock hurt. "You see me after two months and the first thing you ask me is where your dumb boyfriend is? I have no idea where that tosser is and I don't care! So there!"

"Leo."Piper said patiently, halfway down her meal "Jason is your best friend. And he isn't dumb. _And_ we talked for about three hours during lunch today before you ditched me for some girl."

"Oh." Leo said as he started to cram the first sausage into his mouth with absolutely no regard of the people sitting around him. Some of the students eyed him wearily and discreetly scooted away from the curly haired boy. "Well in that case, Jason is still unpacking; he got here like just ten minutes before, something about delayed flights from Dubai. No, he isn't dumb. And Pipes, you were telling me something about Spain before I rushed off with Andy?"

Piper rolled her eyes and Leo just grinned at her, his teeth mercifully clean off any chunks of meat. He snagged one of Annabeth's grilled tomatoes but the blonde didn't comment, having already moved onto her favorite part of the meal; dessert.

"Hey, look what the cat dragged in." Piper whispered, nudging her head in the direction of the east tower's spot. "Or more like the sluts."

Annabeth looked around and spotted the spectacle of her friend's amusement. Sitting there, surrounded by a gaggle of girls was her nemesis, the best swordfighter in the school, the precious jewel of the east. Percy Jackson. Or, as she like to call him, Mr. Jackass. That should have seriously been his name. It completely fitted his personality.

He was currently being fed dinner by the biggest slut in school. Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Or as she was popularly known as: RED; homage to her name and her crimson locks that was now being played with by the green eyed monster himself. RED looked over at Annabeth and sneered, placed a scarily manicured hand on the dark haired boy's shoulder and bended low to whisper something in his ear, her cleavage in full display. They both looked up and met her eyes. RED sneered at her again, there really seemed to be no other expression capable on her botox'ed up face but Jackson caught her eyes and quickly sent her a wink. It was a an empty trick, intending nothing but her irritation as they both knew over the years, but the red haired hag seemed to find this a serious threat to her feminine powers and had quickly captured her lover's lip's in a heated kiss while the rest of the easties cat called and whooped.

 _They had the biggest jerk and the biggest slut in the school._ Annabeth thought amusedly. _That had to amount up to something._

"They're all idiots." Piper said shaking her head at the noise produced. "Though I still don't understand what the deal with you and Jackson is. He's like obsessed with torturing you. Ever since first year."

"I already told you Pipes. Its family issues. His dad and my mom literally hate each other and stuff."

" _I_ think he has a crush on you." Leo said sagely and at her incredulous scoff, plowed on in a wise tone "You know the whole little boys pulling the pigtails of little girls who they like or something like that."

"He's got a point, you know." Piper said and at her disgusted expression continued. "I mean the boy _is_ bloody _hot_. Those sea green eyes and dark tousled hair. He's a good swordfighter so he most probably has a killer body….."

"You have a boyfriend." Leo reminded her tersely just as the blond in question entered the room, spotted them and made a bee line for their table.

"Whatever the case, you know I'm not attracted to the creep." Annabeth whispered to Piper as soon as Leo was distracted waving at his best friend to come take the empty spot beside him. "You know I have a crush on…. _You know who."_

Piper rolled her eyes and made some comments about how the guy wasn't a dark wizard and Annabeth was being foolish referring to the poor bloke as some nose less freak, but her attention was mostly focused on the arrival of her boyfriend, whom she hadn't seen in two months.

Jason had only a few seconds to say hello to the other two occupants of the table before his girlfriend gave a squeal and wrapped her arms around his neck. The westies around them started to catcall and howl as their own golden couple started making out, a showoff to the other towers, especially the east. Who was Piper kidding? They were all idiots.

"They're going to continue on like this till midnight. Believe me," Leo shuddered "Jason sounded completely horny throughout this summer. _'Did you see Piper's photo at the beach?_ ' and _'Do you think Piper looks better in red than in blue?'"_

"They are _definitely_ going to make up for lost time." Annabeth agreed, repulsed at the sight of her best friend curled around her boyfriend. She looked around and spotted Percy and Rachel still going strong. It had somehow turned into a snog match. The east vs the west. She shuddered to think of the results as the cafeteria was filled with cheers and encourages to the two rival couples.

"They are all _animals_." Annabeth continued resignedly, as Travis Stoll caught his brother in a headlock and smashed his head into a plate of mashed potatoes, Connor shrieking all the way while his brother laughed maniacally. "Just…animals."

"Let's get out of here." Leo whispered and she quietly agreed.

 **~0o0~**

"Would you rather…..touch a tarantula or bite a lizard?"

They were in bed, the blankets pulled up to their chin, the room filled with the noise of the rain splashing against the windows, the storm showing no signs of ending.

"Eeewww! That's gross, Piper!" Annabeth complained, sitting up and hugging her pillow, but didn't pause a moment longer before answering "Bite a lizard."

"Eeewwe! _You're_ gross. All you had to do was _touch_ the-"

"I'm arachnophobic." The blonde cut off her roommate. The door suddenly opened with a loud bang just as another lightening flashed and lit the room blinding white and brightened the outline of someone-no- _something_ standing at the door. Piper, startled more than anything, gave out half a scream and chucked her pillow at the figure. It was a poor move, Annabeth thought dryly, in defending against a robber or something more sinister but luckily it was just Hazel, obviously coming from the bathroom after a shower, her small body clad in a white sleeping gown, her hair a damp mess.

"Oh my gods, Hazel. You scared the shit-" Piper was caught off guard as the pillow came flying back to her and hit her square in the face. Hazel shook her finger sternly, closing the door behind her. "I've told you. No swearing!"

"Where were you, Haze?" Annabeth asked, watching the curly haired girl climb into bed, ignoring Piper's lamenting of how she was sure the other girl had broken her neck. "I didn't see you at dinner."

"Oh, I ate early." The girl replied, her tone a bit too nonchalant. Annabeth squinted. Was it her imagination or was Hazel Lévesque _blushing_? Piper narrowed her eyes, having noticed the strange demeanor of the small girl too and quirked an eyebrow at Annabeth. They both nodded.

"So tell me, Hazel. How did the sketching go today?" Piper asked casually, inspecting her nails as her blonde partner in crime leaned back against the bed frame, her pillow on her lap.

"It went…well."

"So did you find any interesting stuff to draw? Like, you know, the lake, the ducks…..maybe boys."

"Wha-what?" the younger girl's stammering was a solid proof of her guiltiness. "There was no guy-"

"Come on, Hazel. We know. You obviously look like you did it." Annabeth teased and shared a quick grin with Piper as Hazel spluttered, her face doing an excellent impression of a scarlet steam engine.

"The first time can be hard." Piper continues. "You just need to find the rhythm-"

"We just held hands! I swear!" Hazel burst out and after spotting the twin look of triumph on her roommate's faces, muttered sullenly "Damn."

It was a rare moment to hear their goody two shoed friend dish out profanities and Annabeth felt the need to observe a second of silence to cherish it but Piper had already proceeded to make Hazel spill the beans.

"So Zhang, huh?" Piper teased as she settled back on her pillow five minutes later. "Best archer in the school. East tower. Sweet guy. Friends with Jackson, though. Eh, no one can be perfect, I guess."

"I met him down at the lake." Hazel repeated, as if trying to make the encounter more innocent than it already was. "We talked and he offered to show me his bow. I forgot to take my watch so I lost track of time."

"Seriously, Hazel. You could do a lot worse." Annabeth said through a yawn and the curly haired girl shot her a grateful smile and lay down to sleep.

There was silence for a few beats as the rain still rushed down outside, the room lighting up bright at intervals and then going pitch dark again thanks to the lightning. The trees swayed dangerously in the frigid, dark storm outside and the water rose and fell threateningly in the lake.

"But seriously though. _Bite_ the lizard. Isn't touching-"

 **~0O0~**

 **So just to clear things up: Annabeth attends a boarding school in…the middle of nowhere (I honestly don't know a place where you can find an ancient castle turned into a school. So let's all just use some imagination.) Her home life isn't that great and Piper is her best friend.**

 **They have four different towers; just like the Hogwarts houses. Annabeth belongs to the West.**

 **And…Percy is a complete douche bag!**

 *****PS***: I'm looking for a better title to this story. If you have any suggestions please review them.**


	2. Chapter 2

**3, 610 words! OMG, that's the longest chapter I've ever written!**

 **First of all, I want to thank all those people who took time to review and Follow/Favorite. They completely made my day ;) ;) Do check out my other stories!**

 **Roger9481: I honestly don't know why but I just sort of hate Rachel a tiny bit. But it's just the first chapter…not everyone is what they seem…**

 **PercabethfanNo.1: Voila! Updates may be a little slow since school has just started and work is piled up high. But I shall try my best!**

 **lovelyloveme: I'm really glad you think Annabeth is in character. I was a little anxious about the conversations; if they sounded awkward or unnatural. I apologize for any mistakes; English isn't my native language. Your suggestions were really insightful and I think I'm going to stick with the current title. And thanks a lot for your support!**

 **Guest: Even Stevan: Thank you very much for your support! I'm glad you liked it.**

 **Guest: Thanks a lot. I was kind of apprehensive of the whole ancient castle thing but I'm really happy it's working out.**

 **AlphaX6: I'm really glad you found the 'Howartzi' concept interesting. I love HP and wanted to include something from it. Thank you for your support and enjoy Chapter 2!**

 **SuperGiGi: Thank you! Again I'm happy to know I've stayed true to Annabeth's character. About their first year…there really isn't much to add. The whole Poseidon/ Athena rivalry exists in this AU too and I suppose that's reason enough. But now that you mention it, I think I might add some flash backs here and there. I'll stick with the current title now since I showed it to my sister and she loved it! (But yours was brilliant! I wish I'd thought of that ;)).**

 **saoirsechase: Thanks a ton for reviewing! Here's Chapter 2!**

 **Special mentions to RareDarkgon, lovelyloveme, percabeth9, Agp3602, AlphaX14, Flaming eyeball, Luishunter65, The Mortal Devises, WaterMelon713, dalbert236, saoirsechase, Niic-wolf, the dark abysssss, paintingbubbles, 7Lovely7, FanfictionalDunshine, Ms. Cumberbatch, Royal-Webb, megafaggot2.0 who have all Followed/ Favorited this story. (Hope I didn't miss anyone!)**

 **Anyway, off to Chapter 2!**

 **~0O0~**

 **Half-Blood High**

 **Chapter 2**

"Morning" Annabeth greeted cheerfully, popping the last piece of hot chocolate waffle into her mouth. Piper glared at her menacingly as she slid into the seat opposite the blonde, her brunette hair still tangled and put up in a messy pony tail. She held a plate of pancakes and a cup of frothy, sweet coffee.

"You little-" the brunette swallowed whatever insult she had in mind as she caught the amused look on her friend's face, as she ate her breakfast. "You set my alarm for _six_. And you hid it under my bed. On _repeat_."

"Hmmm" Annabeth hummed thoughtfully, taking a sip of cold apple juice; coffee caused cancer and killed brain cells. "Yes. It _was_ rather brilliant, wasn't it? You probably couldn't get back to sleep until you figured out where the ringing was coming from."

At the quelling look the brunette aimed at her, the blonde sighed resignedly "You _know_ you would have overslept, Piper. It's the first day of classes-"

"Which starts at _nine_ -"

"-and you take _at least_ two hours to get ready. If I hadn't set it early you would _still_ be up there at nine, combing your hair- which I see you haven't bothered to do today." The blonde said critically, shooting another disapproving glance at the messy up do her friend sported, while her own hair was put up in a tight bun at the nape of her neck.

"I got hungry." Piper muttered, her head bent low as she started to cut her pancakes and then drowse it with syrup. Annabeth involuntarily made a face at her friend's method of making a mess and then devouring it; she herself liked to divide her waffles into symmetrical pieces before eating it.

"I'm going to get more juice. You need anything?" at Piper's indistinguishable 'no', Annabeth picked her empty plate up and wandered off towards the buffet table. A red head from the south tower was helping herself to a cup of tea; there was no one around this early in the morning. Most of the students preferred to just entirely skip breakfast, including Piper, and then have a pack of crisps or something between classes if it meant more time to sleep. Some of the girls, like Rachel and her goons who were obsessed with their precious figure, didn't even indulge in light snacks, as far as the Annabeth could see. They probably ate cotton balls and air.

"Hey _chica_!" a voice chirped next to her and she turned to face Leo standing by her side, piling his plate with toast. "You look all lovely and serious this morning."

Annabeth snorted. "Why are you up so early? Did Jason kick you out again for snoring?"

"That was a onetime occurrence. Besides" Leo cut her off as she opened her mouth, probably to spew out a clever retort or a statics chart on how many times she'd found him in the dining hall before eight. "I was just listening to Captain Command Centre here."

Leo patted his stomach and then proceeded to add a few sausages to his crowded plate. Looked like Captain Command Centre was on a role today. Just like every day. Annabeth poured herself a glass of sparkling apple concoction while her companion grabbed a can of coke and they both made their way back to the table, where Piper was glumly sipping her cup of coffee.

"You look like shit, Pipes." Leo grinned happily as he slid in next to Annabeth.

"Nice to see you too." Piper said sarcastically "Jason kick you out again?"

"It was just that one time." Leo muttered while the two girls shared a smile. It was _so_ not one time. "He's still sleeping, that lucky bastard."

"I would be too if _someone_ hadn't decided to ruin my happiness." Piper shot her a friend a look.

"You would have overslept-"

" _Annabeth_ " The brunette whined and spread her arms widely, gesturing to the room. "There's like literally no one else here. We are the _only_ pathetic souls awake at six bloody thirty in the morning. Even the _teachers_ are asleep."

"Fine" Annabeth admitted begrudgingly, after a moment of silence, where Piper raised her eyebrow and steeled her eyes as if _challenging_ her to come up with a suitable excuse. "Maybe six _was_ a bit early."

She did feel a bit bad now. Just because she was an early bird didn't mean she could drag her friend along too.

"HA!" Piper pointed at her in delight. "I win. Now you owe me."

"What!" Annabeth shouted indigently.

"You admitted it yourself Annie." The brunette sang. "You were wrong. And you ruined something that was very important to me. You have to do as I say now."

Annabeth studied her friend closely, her sleepy demeanor had vanished and her face was lit up with uncontrolled triumph. She sighed as the pieces clicked "This was ruse, wasn't it? You were deliberately making a scene so I'd take pity on you."

"Maybe" Her friend shrugged evasively. "Come on, finish your juice. We need to get up to the dormitories. I have something good planned. It's a girl thing."

"That's right! Don't _ever_ include me!" Leo put his hands up as if in defeat, his breakfast halfway finished. Annabeth had almost forgotten he was there. "Just because _I_ have a little something extra and lack a pair of boobs means I'm instantly barred from fun time!"

There was an awkward silence. And then-

"I wanted to talk about Jason and his… _performance_ last night." Piper said seriously, standing up and grabbing Annabeth's wrist. "Would you like to join us, Valdez?"

Leo's face paled and he calmly took a sip of his coke to settle his emotions. "Nah, that's fine Pipes. I think I'm fine here."

"Perhaps I could tell Annabeth here instead? That way you won't be so left out." Piper added kindly.

"No. It's really all right Pipes." Leo squeaked, his face panicked at the prospect of hearing his best friend's manhood powers. "You two go on ahead."

"We aren't _really_ going to talk about you and Jason…messing about, are we?"Annabeth whispered a little nervously as they left a very troubled looking Leo behind. Not that there _was_ anything wrong with messing about or…more. She just didn't think she'd be able to face the blond haired boy after Piper's detailed description.

"No." Piper snorted and then grinned at her friend. "That's not a good enough punishment."

"Something _worse_ than listening to your shenanigans with the blond superman? OK, _now_ I am _definitely_ scared."

"Oh, live a little, princess!" Piper grinned and threw an arm around the blonde's shoulders. "After this, you are going to _thank_ me on bended knees. I promise."

Annabeth studied her friend's face again, the mischievous glint in her kaleidoscopic eyes playing traitor to the sincere smile she gave her, and sighed deeply. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

"Probably" Piper agreed, pulling the reluctant blonde out of the cafeteria and towards the direction of the west tower stairs. "We'll see."

 **~0O0~**

"No! Please…something else." Annabeth wailed. "Anything but this."

"Quit your dramatics." Piper rolled her eyes and yanked the blonde's hair. The golden locks fell loose and swayed in the breeze drifting through the open window by Piper's bed. "You are in _desperate_ need of a makeover. Especially your hair."

"What's wrong with how I do my hair?" her friend demanded hotly. "That was a perfectly good bun. It was firm and practical for class!"

"It was _tight_ _and ugly_." The brunette corrected her and visibly shuddered at the blonde's taste in fashion. "You're _seventeen_. Not a seventy something old woman."

Annabeth scowled and opened her mouth with the full intention of letting Piper have it. They came here to _study_. To prepare for a good future and settle down. To garner knowledge and face the world without fear.

"Besides" Piper continued on quickly, sensing an oncoming tantrum. "If you let me pretty you up, guys will start to notice you more. Especially _one_ guy. A blonde dreamboat."

"Jason?"

Piper smacked the blonde's arm, grabbed a hairbrush and started to work on the luscious golden lacks in front of her. Her friend sighed. "Do you really think Luke would notice?"

"Believe me, Annabeth." Piper said regally, loosening some vicious knots while the blonde winced in pain. Piper plowed on; she was merciless in these situations. She was on a _mission_. "After I'm done with you, even Jackson would beg to have a chance with you. Not that he doesn't need any more encouragement."

Annabeth refused to rise to the bait; for some absurd reason Piper seemed to be obsessed with the notion of Percy Jackson harboring some sort of hidden feelings for her. _As if_. She _had_ caught him sending her lustful looks now and then last year but didn't think much into it. Boys were controlled by one specific part of their anatomy and she wasn't ready to meet that part yet. Besides, Jackson was too busy getting into the red haired slag and half the school female population to notice a prude like her. Like she cared. He was more than welcome to go ahead and catch syphilis.

Then _why_ did that thought make her so sad? Instead of mulling over the jerk and getting more depressed she fixed her gaze outside the window while Piper's hand gently wove magic into her hair. The sun was shining brightly, the sky a beautiful azure blue, the water drops on the leaves in the nearby trees glistening thanks to the rain last night. There were big puddles of water on the ground; a couple of students had taken some of the horses out and were galloping around merrily, splashing water everywhere.

"Close your eyes!" Piper commanded and the blonde obeyed, sighing at the feeling of eyeliner against her closed lids. Gods, she hoped she didn't end up looking like a clown.

"Just a few more touches…here _and_ ….there!" Piper whooped in delight, the eyeliner tucked behind her left ear.

"I'm sure it's-" Annabeth's voice died in her throat as she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her frizzy hair, which she had earlier thrown into an unflattering bun, was now carefully brushed and let loose down her back. The golden strands caught the sunlight streaming through the window and glowed. Her eyes, which she had always deemed grey and dull, were now outlined with lustrous black kohl, which made it pop out and look interesting. There was a faint dusting of pink on her tanned cheeks and her lips were covered in a sultry lip-gloss in the shade of cherry.

It was like she had a completely new person but at the same time it wasn't. Piper had highlighted her best qualities and gave them a chance to shine.

"Wow."

"I know." the brunette replied smugly, grabbed the hairbrush and started to untie her own messy pony tail. "Luke won't know what hit him."

 **~0O0~**

"Perhaps it's a _bit_ too short." Annabeth whispered embarrassedly, trying to pull her navy blue skirt down her thighs. Piper slapped her hand away.

They were making their way towards the stable; Annabeth because she wanted to say hello to Porkpie and Piper because she had nothing better to do. It was half past eight and they had another half an hour more before they had to split up to go to their respective classes. There were students scattered around the ground; some taking refuge under the shade of the trees and others perched on top of the low stone wall that ran around parts of the forest.

Many turned around and glanced at them and immediately turned back for a second look. She could see them all staring at her with wide eyes and slack jaws. Most of the girls glared at her and pulled their boyfriends closer. She was making quite a riot with her new makeup and not regulation length skirt. Piper, chocolaty brown hair braided with feathers and with freshly applied sparkly lip-gloss, strutted past the gaping student body with a confident smirk and her chin held high.

Annabeth wanted to be run over by the nearest horse and just _die_.

" _Piper_ " Annabeth hissed as yet again the brunette slapped her hand away from her skirt, their boots splashing water as the two girls walked on the dirt trail that led to the stables.

"Relax Annie." Piper frowned at her. "You have killer legs. I don't know why you have been hiding it under that bloody skirt all these years. I'm glad I convinced you to show them off."

"You _cornered_ me!" Annabeth said glumly, remembering all too well the way Piper had eyed her uniform in the corridor and suggested they tweak it a little. Annabeth, with newfound confident thanks to the spectacular make up and her new hairstyle, had agreed readily. Now, seeing the amount of attention she was garnering, she wondered if the whole new look was just unnecessary.

"Whatever. If you have it, flaunt it." The brunette told her wisely as they reached the stable stands. Strands of hey were littered around the hard mud floor. The neighing of horses filled the air. "Besides, it's really not that short."

Annabeth rolled her eyes but her attention was mostly focused on Porkpie, who was loitering around a yellow mare. She watched amusedly as her trusted pet trotted up and down in front of Buttercup, striking ridiculous poses at times and neighing in what must have been a seducing way. Boys were the same, be it human or a four legged _Equus ferus caballus._

The blonde whistled and Porkpie trotted over to her, temporarily abandoning his disastrous attempt at flirting. He lowered his head and she ran a hand over his silky mane.

"What's up, big boy?" Annabeth cooed "Is Buttercup playing hard to get again? Is she? Is she?"

Her horse released a series of disgruntled grunts and neighs which spoke clearly of his frustrations. Annabeth laughing, as she listened to Porkpie's complaints, suddenly noticed another horse in the next stall, silent and watchful.

His was the color of coal and his eyes glittered amusedly. He neighed and raised a leg towards her in a salute; Blackjack. Annabeth grinned and gave him a little wave. Blackjack was the friendliest horse in the Academy. He usually let anyone ride him, unlike her own buddy Porkpie who was quite picky in those matters.

The only negative side was that he was Jackson's horse. How such a hateful jerk could have such a sweet horse was beyond her but whatever the case Blackjack adored Jackson. They were quite a sight when they rode together. Blackjack galloped so fast it looked like he was flying.

She couldn't spot the green eyed devil anywhere but Blackjack's mane was freshly brushed so she figured he must have visited the stables earlier.

"Come on, Annabeth." Piper whined, leaning on a wooden pillar. "Let's go already. The smell is making me sick."

Annabeth ignored her friend and returned to rubbing Porkpie's mane. "Ok, now you listen here boy. The way to a female's heart is tricky. If horses are anything like humans, which they might be after seeing you're earlier performance, it's very important to make her feel special. You can…I don't know...compliment her hooves or something-"

 **~0O0~**

"Equal pieces of zinc granules are dropped in two test tubes. Test tube A contains lemon juice and test tube B HCL…"

Annabeth's hand raced as she struggled to keep up with Professor Salt. Piper, who was sitting beside Annabeth as her partner, rolled her eyes at the blonde and continued to stare blankly ahead, successfully blocking out the droning voice of the teacher that had sent half the class to sleep.

After ten minutes even Annabeth set her pen down, looking bored. She had already finished this topic last year as a part of light reading and decided that writing it down again would just be a waste of paper. Instead she looked around the class in hope of something interesting.

She spotted Hazel and Leo at a table at the back. The seating plan was definitely not to the liking of the curly haired girl as she shot nervous looks at her partner, who was busy mixing random chemicals, grinning like a maniac. Next to their table sat Jackson and Dare. Dare had her hand under the table and Jackson had his eyes closed, a look of pleasure on his face. They were definitely _not_ studying.

She looked away from the disgusting sight and came face to face with Ethan Nakamura, who was sitting a row behind her. He wasn't paying attention to the lecture either like the rest of the class. Instead his eyes were solely fixed on Annabeth. The blonde stared back at him and recoiled in surprise when he suddenly sent her a wink.

Annabeth turned back front, her cheeks a little flushed at the reminder of her current state of appearance thanks to Piper, who was now trying to balance a pencil on her nose.

"Miss. Dare! You shall remove your hand from under that table _immediately_!" Professor Salt cried in outrage, glaring at the back of the class. The rest of the students turned around to see a pink faced Rachel, whose hands were now placed on the table. Jackson sniggered at her side and the red haired girl shot him a glare reeking of betrayal.

"And you Mr. Jackson" the flustered teacher turned toward the said boy, who had by now adopted a face suitable at a funeral. "It looked like you were having a good time. Why don't you tell us the answer to the question, then? Is it Test tube A or B?"

"Uh….test tube?"

"The reaction will be vigorous if we add zinc to which test tube?"

"….A?"

Annabeth sniggered amusedly as did a few others who had paid attention to the question. Professor Salt was _not_ looking amused.

"Gather you're things Mr. Jackson" Professor Salt ordered, breathing hard through his nose. "It is obvious Miss. Dare is not the right partner for you."

He looked around the class "Miss. Mclean!"

Piper, too busy in her aerobatics attempt to notice the drama that had taken place, looked up in surprise at the mention of her name while her pencil went flying behind. A grunt indicated it had hit Chris Rodriguez, Ethan's partner, in the head, who was sitting behind the brunette.

"Miss. Mclean, gather you're things and partner with Miss. Dare, please." Professor Salt said as Piper glumly started to gather her books. Annabeth shot her friend a sympathetic look as the brunette made her way over to the back, where Rachel was shooting her a predatory look. "Mr. Jackson, in the front with Miss. Chase. Now HCL…"

Annabeth groaned and started taking down notes if it meant she didn't have to talk with her new partner. Jackson plunked down in Piper's empty seat and started to stare at her.

Annabeth ignored him, refusing to respond to his juvenile behavior, when a piece of paper hit her in the head. She turned to the raven haired boy, a murderous look on her face. But Jackson merely held his hands up in surrender and gestured behind. Ethan Nakamura was staring at her and after seeing he had got her attention, subtly nodded his chin towards the piece of paper that now lay innocently on her desk.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and picked up the paper.

 _Looking good, Chase. Wanna catch a movie together?_

Jackson, who was leaning over her shoulder and reading, snorted loudly.

"What?" Annabeth demanded, quickly hiding the note in a book, an embarrassed blush coating her cheeks.

"Oh nothing!" Jackson replied mockingly, his eyes going wide comically. "Just…you probably think you're the cat's cream and all now because you _finally_ decided to paint your face."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, Chase. You look so _obvious_." Jackson smiled at her in pity, his green eyes hard as emeralds. His face looked angular and harsh under the white lights. "You look like a regular tart."

"I'm sorry, _what_?" Annabeth gasped in shock, her eyes welling up a little at the unexpected and painful comment. Her throat felt uncomfortably tight.

"Of course, _I_ would never waste my time with you." The green eyed boy continued cruelly, nodding his chin towards Ethan, who was now pouring through his text, oblivious to the conversation in front of him. "You're just good enough for the likes of _him_. Barely."

"Oh, I see!"Annabeth snapped furiously, finding her voice at last. "And I suppose _your_ _friend_ is a model for morality."

"Oh, Rachel is a right slut." Jackson replied dismissively, as if he were discussing the weather. "You're just giving her a run for her money."

Annabeth seriously considered slapping the bastard- _how dare he?_ \- When suddenly the room was filled with acrid purple smoke. The blonde bent over gagging, tears running down her face as the class was filled with the sounds of coughing and retching.

"MR. VALDEZ!" rang out Professor Salt's furious voice and a guilty looking Leo dropped the vial of green liquid he was holding onto the floor and smiled uncertainly "Ooops?"

Fifteen minutes later, after Leo had earned himself a month load of detention, the class was evacuated and the students left for lunch.

"How did partnering up with Jackson go?" Piper asked interestedly as they made their way to the cafeteria.

"You don't want to know." Annabeth said quietly, her grey eyes still looking a little glassy from tears that were _not_ due to the smoke, a dangerous tilt to her voice that made Piper take a step back from the blonde. "One day, I'm going to fucking _kill_ him."

 **~0O0~**

 **Wow…Percy is definitely an ass.**

 **You're reviews would seriously help me in continuing this story.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! Welcome back to yet another chapter of Half- Blood High. Things are getting serious!**

 **So first of all, I would like to address one of the common responses of the reviewers for the last chapter. I don't believe everyone appreciates Percy's character much. Again, this is only the starting. No one is what they seem.**

 **OH MY GOD! I'm sooooo happy with the response from the last chapter! All you're lovely reviews have fueled me on.**

 **Flaming eyeball: If I were Annabeth I would too. Here's Chapter 3!**

 **Paintingbubbles: That was sort of the intention ;) Thanks a lot for reviewing!**

 **Saoirsechase: Thank you! And here's chapter 3!**

 **AlphaX14: I know, I get that feeling too. Thank you for your constant support!**

 **FlyingShoes135: Nope. Not British at all. But I do read lots of stories by British authors so I really like that slang. I'm trying my best to keep it up, so advanced apologies for any mistakes. Yes Rachel may not be at fault but still…I don't really know. When I read** _ **The Last Olympian**_ **I nearly ripped out that page! (** _ **Nearly**_ **. I love books.) But again, this only the starting, not everyone is what they seem.( whoa, that's the third time I've written that sentence.) Thanks a lot for reviewing!**

 **lovelyloveme: Thank you! Hope this one was more torture ;) I'll probably finish the story first and then come back again to correct the mistakes. Frankly I just don't have much time. There's classes, then tuition, then coaching; it's a total nightmare. So I just rush through the chapters and they may not all be perfect. You did sound a tiny bit crazy by the second time you mentioned you were ;) Kidding! Thank you so much for the advice and keep following this story.**

 **Guest: Thank you! I thought the chemistry between them needed a boost;)**

 **SuperGigi: I'm really glad you liked the last chapter. Keep following the updated and enjoy Chapter 3! And also a huge thanks to your constant support.**

 **Xoxocullenluverxoxo: Thanks a ton for the pointer. I had no idea about that. But I just really like including this part in my chapters so I'm just going to continue it like this. Does it really make you laugh? Your review definitely made me smile!**

 **DemigodSassReaders: Here it is!**

 **Special mentions to Amphritite102, Anilia, FlyingShoes135, Happyducks2, LTAVirgo77, Mentalcase97, Ship Royalty,The God Of Darkness And Ice, allinthebooks25, carrotsharkbooks, gabrielasayshi,johndoe7699, katemac14, piefilo1, thecliffhanger, therealwhiskey xoxocullenluverxoxxo, LuciferMorningStar669, Wildone Y, 0143 and myflying mokingjay who have all followed/Favorited this story from last chapter (Hope I didn't miss anyone! If I did, please tell me!)**

 **~0O0~**

 **Half-Blood High**

 **Chapter 3**

The cold wind slapped her face as she raced down the dirt track bordering the forest. The looming sounds of thunder and Porkpie's uneasy neighing filled the silent air, as Annabeth continued on with cold determination. She had to forget. She _had to_.

"Come on, boy. Just a few more minutes." Annabeth urged her skitterish mare as he slowed down to a trot on his own will. A streak of lightening cut through the grey sky and another growl of thunder shook the empty grounds. "Please, just…just till the stables."

Porkpie whined in unhappy agreement and they set of in a brisk pace over the wet fields towards the distant silhouette of the castle. It was evening and the field of Half-Blood High had been taken over by thick, white fog. The grounds were empty with the school population all inside, toasty and cheerful in the warm cafeteria. Annabeth clenched her teeth in frustration as her mind started to replay the events of that afternoon, the very reason she had dragged an unwilling Porkpie into this stormy weather to forget.

She could barely see a few feet in front of her, white mist draped on all her sides. The grey sky was just slightly visible overhead and it was easy to forget the outside world ever existed and believe there was nothing else around her than calm, white mist and the eerie silence.

They were getting closer to the end of their ride, as the dim golden lights of the Castle appeared in the blonde's vision, floating with no support in the white, soupy background. Annabeth yanked on Porkpie's reign, a sudden grip of terror taking over her. A cold sweat broke out her face as the white fog and silence, which had been comforting only a moment ago, suddenly started to close in on her, making it hard for her to breathe. Something in the air felt wrong all of a sudden…

"It's okay boy. We're safe now." Annabeth whispered gently to her anguished horse, as they crossed the gates into the brightly lit stables, the smell of hey and grunts of terrified horses filling the air. Outside, rain had started to fall, bringing with it a very harsh wind in the direction of the open stable doors. Annabeth dismounted Porkpie and led him to his stall as the slanting rain drops streaked the golden hey in front of the building.

A week had passed since the beginning of school. It was the weekend tomorrow and Annabeth had been excited to visit the small village at the base of the hill, a collection cozy little bookstores and cafés. She and Piper had made plans to visit the trendy new boutique that had come up last month, just like most of the other girls in their dorm. Then they would head to the Half-Blood pub for lunch, an old structure rumored to have been built around the same time as the castle. Everything had been perfect that afternoon until had she picked up that call.

She could remember feeling a little anxious when the familiar tune had filled the room, as her phone started to vibrate on the bedside table, the dorm room filled with the bright sunlight outside which was not expected to last soon. Piper had just left to fill Hazel in on the plans they had made together during that free period, lounging on their beds and giggling at the most absurd reasons. She had picked the phone up with slightly shaking fingers and the room was filled with silence at the sudden cease of the ringtone.

Athena Chase had been on the other side, checking upon her daughter in the five minute window between meetings and presentations. They had exchanged awkward pleasantries and few tense pauses. Then her mother had dropped the bomb.

"What do you mean you're moving to England?" Annabeth had demanded shrilly, pacing the length of the room.

"I mean what I said. There is a…very important project that needs my immediate attention." Her mother had sounded distracted. Annabeth could hear Lacy, Athena's personal secretary, chattering away in the distance. "It's not for long. Just a year or two. You'll be fine at school. If I'm not back by then, the New York penthouse has just been finished remodeling. So-it's going be fine. Just tell them I'll be there in a few seconds!"

It had taken her a moment to realize that her mother wasn't speaking to her. "What about Malcolm?" she had whispered, suddenly feeling lonely and cold. Please not her little brother. Not the only other relative that she had in the whole world, the sweet little boy she had grown up with…

"He's coming with me."

Ten minutes later Piper had found her sitting on her chair, staring out the window like a lifeless doll. She'd been gently questioned and prodded, though she had spoken to no one about what was wrong. Hazel had sat next to her, squeezing her hand in support, her gentle inquiries falling on deaf ears. Leo and Jason had arrived an hour later, both of them silently smuggled into the girl's dormitories. But their reassurances and half hearted jokes had no effect on the blonde, as she continued to watch the sun being taken over slowly by faint grey clouds. It would soon be dark, just like everything else in her life.

Suddenly, in that room full of people she had felt lonely. And the next thing she knew she was slipping on her boots and shouting at Piper to leave her alone.

Piper was there now, sitting on the stone steps leading to the Castle, a white towel clutched in her hands. The sight of her friend filled Annabeth with relief. She didn't want to be alone anymore. Didn't want to be out there in those silent, lonely grounds with the feeling of something wrong in the chilling air.

Piper got up at the sight of the drenched blonde and quickly enveloped her in a hug. Annabeth hugged her back and shed the tears that had been threatening to spill the last few hours.

"Pipes…I'm sorry…they're moving- I don't know-" Annabeth sobbed into her friend's shoulder, as the brunette rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"Shhh. It' okay darling. We're here for you." Piper hugged her closer and started to dry the blonde's hair with the fluffy towel. "Let's get you inside."

 **~0O0~**

"It's all right to talk, guys. I'm not going to snap again." Annabeth muttered in resignation, toying with the bowl of cereal in front of her. "I'm-I'm fine now."

She could see Jason and Leo exchanging doubtful glances out of the corner of her eyes. Piper sat next to her in the crowded cafeteria, more concentrated on the blonde's face than the stack of pancakes sitting in front of her. Hazel had insisted on getting Annabeth coffee and was over by the buffet table.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Jason asked nervously, concern evident in his tone. Leo, in all the years she had known him, was sitting unnaturally somber. He too played with his plate of breakfast and once in a while sent resentful glances at the buffet table. The hispanic boy looked strangely incomplete without his usual nervous energy and corny jokes.

"Last night was a bit of an overreaction-"

"You rode through a storm like a maniac-"

"-but now I've thought things through, it's probably for the best. I'm stuck here for the next two years and Malcolm had always wanted to travel. We can always, you know call each other or I could just pop over for a few days" Annabeth shrugged nonchalantly, trying desperately to hide the dull pain that still tugged at her heart strings. They were really going. Her mother had just left her in another country without a second thought. Was she really not that wanted?

"You're right. Everything is going to be perfectly fine." Leo shot her a watery smile, leaning over to tuck a strand of blonde hair that had escaped the messy pony tail she had tied her locks into. She hadn't been in the mood to recreate her make over from yesterday.

"I understand, Annabeth." Jason said quietly, giving her a little smile. "The last time I saw my father was at a project launch five years ago. You definitely have a better deal than me."

She returned his grin with a grateful smile of her own. Yes, her situation _was_ much better than Jason's. At least she had Malcolm…

"You're coffee!" Hazel grinned at her, placing a steaming mug on the crowded table as she slid into the seat beside Piper. She gave a small wave toward the beverage area and Annabeth watched amused as a shy Frank Zhang returned it.

"Well, I think I have an idea what Hazel will be up to in the village." Piper said cheerfully, sending Annabeth a sly wink which the blonde found herself surprisingly echoing. "Swapping spit with Zhang behind a display rack!"

Leo chocked on his coke and Hazel turned various shades of pink in a matter of seconds.

The rest of them laughed and she felt the tight coils in her chest slowly unwrapping.

 **~0O0~**

 **Percy's POV (YAY, finally!)**

 **East Tower Common Room**

The warm sunshine filtered in through the open window, accompanied by a cool breeze that played with the curtains and send smiles on the faces of the students in the common room, all of them rushing around and grabbing their jackets and umbrellas (one never could be sure about the weather), all eager to spend as much time as possible in the village in the pleasant weather.

Percy Jackson lounged on one of the many sofas by the bay window, twirling a small silver knife in his hands. He didn't use it often but it had been his mother's….

"Percy!"

The raven haired boy looked, briefly abandoning the object of his attention. Frank Zhang stood before him, clad in a blue sweater and a red umbrella clutched in his large hands. A small boy trailed behind him, dressed entirely in black, a venomous scowl fixed on his pale face. Percy mentally snorted at his cousin's attire. Did the idiot really think dressing up as a penguin was the right way to go on a date?

"Hey guys." The green eyed boy nodded, his hands already back to toying with the knife in his possession. "You'd better hurry before the sky decides to change its mind."

"Are you sure you're not coming?" Frank asked hopefully "We could catch a few drinks at the pub."

"The only thing I would be catching is nausea after seeing little Neeks trying to seduce Solace." He snorted as Nico released a small growl and glared at Frank who had covered a snort of his own in the pretence of coughing.

"Let's not forget little Frankie's date here." Nico mocked, pulling his black aviator jacket tightly around him. "How old is she? Thirteen?"

"Sixteen and she's very mature for her age." The said boy huffed back, crossing his hands over his chest. "At least, _she_ doesn't tend to burst into random Taylor Swift songs."

Nico glared at the obvious jibe at Will. "At least I don't look like a fucking _pedophile_ while I'm out with my boyfriend."

"No, cause that's what Will looks like every time he's out with you."

"Guys, guys!" Percy sat up, immediately sensing the oncoming fist fight. Frank would probably give Nico a black eye and the other boy would chew out his ear or something. They were bloody idiots. "Both of you are creeps who shouldn't be let out into society. Now shut up and go suck faces with your dates."

The boys squared their chests, both of them hesitant to make the first move. Percy rolled his eyes and pushed them outside to the stair way, unable to stomach the excessive amount of testosterone hanging in the air. Why couldn't they accept they were both creepy bastards and move on? He definitely had.

He reoccupied his position on the sofa, leaning his hands on the window still, his eyes glued on to the throng of multi colored students laughing and shoving each other as they strolled through the fields and onto the road that led to the tiny village at the base of the hill. He easily spotted Nico, the guy was literary a black spot light in the cheerful background, his pale hands inter twinned with a boy in a bright yellow sweater.

Percy let out a small sigh as his mind started to wander, imagining all the things he was going to miss today due to his stubbornness. The latest football gear at _Soccer Field,_ the tangy ale at the crowded pub with his friends, the blue candy at his favorite store: Demeter's heavenly sin.

It was just…he didn't want to go out today, surrounded by all the delighted laughs and happiness of his class mates, when he felt the urgent need to be somber, to mourn all those painful days he spent the past summer… Plus he didn't want to be a gross intruder in his friends' dates, how much ever they reassured him otherwise. He was not _that_ pathetic.

Suddenly, among the sea of students, he spotted someone staring right at him. Someone with bright red hair and a malicious smile. Rachel. She caught his eyes and squealed and made an excited gesture for him to wait for her as she started to shove her way past the students and run into the castle.

Shit. He had to get out of here before the hag came bursting into the room with her ridiculously sugary sweet voice that made his ears bleed and her bloody sharp nails.

He found himself sprinting down the stairs and in the opposite way of the entrance, his footsteps echoing throughout the gloomy, empty hall way. Rachel was a good time pass and he intended to keep it that way. But the girl seemed to be living in a different world and was convinced that they were an item and religiously did her duty of trailing behind him like a lost puppy (she was anything but) and opening up her bottle of feelings, which was a concept that Percy lived in constant fear of. How many times did he have to tell her that he didn't care if she was upset about a chipped nail?

Percy stopped running and looked around, releasing a satisfied breath when he realized he was the only one in the hall way. He studied the corridor, trying to figure out where the hell he was when he realized he was just a turn away from the library. He shrugged and made his way to the house of books, figuring it would at least be empty and the last place Rachel would look for him.

What he didn't expect was to find a lone figure in one of the tables at the back, her head leaning on her hands, surrounded by stacks of thick books and papers. Just looking at those fat volumes made Percy sick. The only book that he had successfully managed to read without punching the nearest wall was _Sports Illustrated_ because it was…illustrated.

He jumped behind the nearest book shelf when the figure raised her head. A pair of grey eyes met his vision, swollen and red as if she had been crying for a long time. He took a step back when he realized who he was staring at, who was spending this beautiful day inside the musty library instead of having fun at the village.

Sitting there among piles of torn up sheets and a spilled cup of what looked like dried up tea was none other than Annabeth Chase. Nerd Extraordinaire, the golden girl of the west and the bane of his existence. And she had started to cry.

 **~0O0~**

 **So what do you think? Will Percy help Annabeth and start Percabeth or am I just cruel?**

 **This chapter was rushed and isn't what I had originally imagined. Things are getting really hectic for me with coaching classes taking up every Sunday. The only reason I was able to update was because it's St. Thomas day today and school was closed.**

 **If you don't have anything else to do, do check out one of my other stories; Coffee.**

 **Coffee: 'He was a stalker', she thought 'Kelp head was a stupid, dangerous, sneaky, good looking kidnapper who liked to sleep in his victim's bed before murdering them' OR The one where Annabeth hates coffee but ends up working in a coffee shop and one evening Percy decides he wants a Vanilla café latte. Percabeth!**

 **But any way REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Tori Chase: Thank you! That was a seriously good idea and I had similar thoughts as well and…we'll see! Do enjoy Chapter 4!**

 **Guest: Yeah…**

 **TheMockingJay14: Thank you so much for your support! Here's chapter 4!**

 **KianajLau: Here you are!**

 **A huge thanks to all people who followed/ fav this story. Fort nine followers, Holy-.**

 **Let's all make it to a hundred at the end, shall we? ;) ;)**

 **Edit/02/07/2019: I've added a Percy-Rachel scene here because I felt we weren't really getting a look into Percy's personal life, mainly his fuck boy image. This story is M rated for a reason and if you do not like smut, then please don't read ahead. If you've already read ahead and wasn't aware of this edit, don't fret because it doesn't alter the plot or anything.**

 **Half-Blood High**

 **Chapter 4**

 **~0O0~**

The peaceful atmosphere in the library was disrupted by the sound of something trickling and pooling down onto the cold marble floor.

"Shit." Annabeth cursed as she quickly tried to salvage her papers while the cold tea ran down the smooth dark wood of the table and onto her lap. She mentally cursed Piper while she moved her reports and books away from the mess that she had managed to create in the space of five minutes. She supposed Piper had meant well and had only pushed the drink into her hands to lift her damp spirits, but still, did the damn piece of crockery have to lose its balance now? Surely she hadn't hit it that hard.

 _Now my skirt's damp too_. Annabeth thought glumly as she settled down once again and picked up her pen. She could hear the distant sounds of laughter and shouts as the whole school made their way to the village. She sighed and let her head fall into her arms.

Annabeth knew she was being stubborn by holing up in the library and missing all the fun that was sure to pass among her friends at the village. But yet, when she had been up in the dorm rooms and getting ready, a sudden fit of sobs had taken over her and she had completely lost control of her tear ducts. She thought she had accepted the horrible events of yesterday, though evidently she hadn't. Her mother really didn't want her. She was just a mistake; the product of a drunken sophomore night…

But deep down she suspected weather her sudden bout of emotional display wasn't triggered by the sight of her friends' happiness. She knew it was a selfish thought and was absolutely disgusted with herself, but the feeling still lingered. Piper was gorgeous and a free spirit. Hazel was kind and found pleasure in small things. Jason was a strong leader but also had a small wild streak in him. And Leo. Leo literally breathed adventure and happiness.

How was it that they could all be so happy so easily when she herself just couldn't? Was there a particular switch she hadn't switched on or some weird yoga exercise she didn't know? Why did she have to worry about the smallest project or fret over an assignment that wasn't due for another six months? Why couldn't she, for once, just let them all go to hell and sit back and just fucking relax?

The worst part, she reflected, was that they all at least had someone significant in their lives. Jason and Piper was a match made in heaven. Leo pinned after a different girl every other week but at least he seemed happy. Even Hazel, sweet innocent Hazel, had found comfort in Zhang. Annabeth considered it yet another race in the non-academic life that she had lost. The only person she had felt a minute connection was to Luke Castellan, a senior and west tower sports champion, who she found out had got together with Silena Beugeurd at dinner yesterday.

She was fated to die alone. She lifted her head up, having the strangest feeling that someone was watching her but the library was empty. After all, which pathetic soul would be locked up here instead of having fun at the village? No one except her, she realized suddenly, and hot tears started to well up in her eyes and run down her cheeks.

Her mind worked overload, pulling up pictures from her past and playing them in front of her eyes; a little blonde girl peeking out from behind the curtains of the stage in her pre-school, anxious to catch a glimpse of her mother in the audience who would never come. A lone tear escaping the eyes of a twelve year old girl as her mother, instead of admiring the trophy she bought home, brush past her and out the door for a meeting. Fourteen years old and shipped off to boarding school, without as much as a simple goodbye. Sixteen and left stranded as her entire family moved to another continent.

She hiccupped a little and let her hair fall in front of her face as she desperately tried to stop the tears. She didn't look up when she heard footsteps, absently thinking it must be Mr. Ford, the librarian, taking his usual rounds even though there was no one but herself and a couple of rouge flies around.

"Take this."

Her head snapped up so fast she was certain she had broken her neck. She knew that voice so well.

"Come on, Chase. Stop sniveling like some abandoned dog and just fucking take it already."

She stared at the sea green eyes of the speaker and then a little lower to the object he was thrusting at her. A green handkerchief, she noted, but made no move to accept it. He wore an untucked white dress shirt, that clung to his sleek, well defined form. The top two buttons were open, revealing a small expanse of smooth tanned skin. She could feel her mouth go dry and swallowed hard; trying to shake away the strange feelings that had taken flight in her erratically pounding heart and the unexpected sensations that had assaulted her limbs and had paralyzed her body onto the cold wooden chair. Her head was pounding so hard, she could see her vision shake and a low static buzz echoing in her ears.

"Whatever." The boy snarled after a moment of silence, when she simply gazed at him through swollen eyes. He threw the cloth onto the table in front of her, turned on his heels and walked out of the library as if though the encounter had never taken place.

As she stared at the head of messy but disturbingly attractive black hair disappear out the door, one thought flew across her jumbled mind. _Who was that boy and what had he done to Jackson?_

 **~0O0~**

Percy's POV

"Fuck, Percy! That's it!" Rachel moaned in ecstasy, as he thrust his hips up and impaled himself in her tight cunt, one of his hands tweaking her nipple, while the other held onto her hips as she rode him. Percy groaned softly as she came down on him again, his throbbing cock sinking deliciously along her wet passage.

He took some time to gaze at her flushed, sweaty form, her wild crimson hair flowing down her back and some falling over her front, her breasts bouncing up and down, her thighs spread out on either side of him as she straddled his hips for a moment, the tip of his cock lightly grazing the folds of her opening, before she descended on him again, burying his cock deep within her. Percy shifted his hand resting on her hips and led it along to her wet pussy, and started rubbing her clit in the pace he knew she preferred, and Rachel came seconds after, over his still erect penis. She collapsed on top of him, too exhausted to take charge again, and Percy let out a hiss of disapproval at the feeling of his throbbing, painful erection.

He roughly pulled her under him and priced her legs apart, before thrusting himself into her hard. Rachel moaned, her eyes closed shut, as he grabbed her arse and squeezed while taking her hard, each of his thrusts hitting her core. She bought her hands forward and started playing with her breasts in order to increase her pleasure, and the sight of her tweaking her pert, pink nipple and the feel of her tight pussy clenching around his cock was enough to send him over the edge and come out all over her short red curls and abdomen.

He rolled off of her and lay on the sheets, staring at the ceiling, spent and yet not quite satisfied. He wasn't altogether sure when he'd stopped finding complete pleasure at her hands, but there was no denying the absence of something integral between them, like passion. Percy admitted she was good to look at, certainly there was no denying that fact and half the boys at the Academy would agree. He ran a lazy eye across her form laying beside him; rather large perky breasts and a slim waist, ample bottom that jiggled quite pleasingly while she rode someone, a tight pussy and big pouty lips that could do wonders.

Perhaps it was just him, he thought dismissively, before turning to his side and propping himself up on an elbow and gazing at the red haired girl leisurely. He grabbed her left breast and fondled it roughly, tweaking the pebbled up nipple. She moaned, and turned on by the sight of her naked body arching up from the bed, his mouth latched onto her nipple, sucking hard while his hand strayed downwards to stroke her wet folds, lightly inserting a finger into her wet opening, the walls clenching around him. His cock stood up in attention and Rachel yelled his name, as he pumped his fingers into her.

Yep, it was definitely just him, he thought amusedly as her cries of pleasure filled the empty dorm room. He gave her nipple one last pinch before rolling her over on all fours and roughly taking her from behind, his name reverberating off the walls.

 **~0O0~**

"So in short, the story deals with an incompetent ghost who has a weird obsession with stains. Very scary."

"No! The book isn't actually supposed to be scary. It's more of humor. The author narrates the troubles Sir Simon encounters after the arrival of the Otis family, who didn't give a second thought to the ghost's carefully constructed reputation built over centuries."

"Again, we are talking of an evil spirit who peed his pants at the sight of a pair of twin boys quarter his age. Wait, not quarter, several _centuries_ younger than him. "

Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a tired sigh. Outside, the sky was streaked with brilliant hues of crimson orange and yellow ochre, a flock of birds silently making their way to the tree covers as the last rays of light disappeared down the horizon. They, Leo and herself, were seated at a corner table next to the window in the common room.

"Come on, Leo. We've been over this ten times already." Annabeth huffed, flipping a page of Leo's heavily gratified textbook, where the words were barely distinguishable between the sketches of motor bikes and generously seasoned tacos. "Just read the bloody chapter and you'll be fine for tomorrow's test."

Leo let out a frustrated sigh and grabbed his text back, which he proceeded to close and dump onto the messy table in a rather undignified manner. Annabeth could feel the words of protests travelling up her throat at the inconsiderate treatment of the book, but bit her tongue and decided to overlook the matter, taking into account both their current levels of fatigue.

"I take it something happened at the village today and it wasn't to your liking." Annabeth remarked, leaning back onto the worn out cushions, keeping a careful eye on her friends face. Leo, for his part, didn't immediately respond and she let him marshal his thoughts while watching the way he stared out onto the castle grounds with a forlorn expression on his face. At last, he turned his coffee brown eyes onto her and her heart nearly missed a beat at the utter desperation and sadness that seeped out through them.

"Leo, what's wrong?" she asked, her heart beating abnormally fast as she grasped his hand that was on the table and squeezed it gently. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Leo shook his head and gave her a small smile "I want to. You have no idea just _how much_ I want to tell you. Or anyone, for that matter. It's just, it's probably going to make a scene and create a rift in our friendship and you'll all have to choose someone…and I'm afraid it's not going to be me."

"What are you talking about? Of course I'll always choose you! You're one of my best friends!"

"What if the other person was one your best friends too?" Leo asked softly, staring out the window and into the slate grey clouds that rumbled in the evening sky, missing the look of shock that passed on the blonde's face at the implication of his words. "It definitely changes things, doesn't it?"

"What…what exactly _are_ you talking about, Leo?" Annabeth asked in confusion. "Did…did something happen between you Jason? Did you guys have a fight or something?"

Leo let out a small humorless laugh, his unfocused gaze still fixed on the rapidly darkening horizon. "Jason…Jason is like a true brother to me. He was the first person who actually saw me as a friend and took time to adjust to my maniac ways. Let's not forget, he was the one who introduced me to you guys. Without him I would be a pathetic, friendless nut job struggling his way through high school."

"You know that's not true." Annabeth whispered softly, leaning over the table. "You're kind and smart and funny and anyone would be lucky to-"

Leo cut her off with a firm look, an expression so foreign and strange on her friend's face that it shut her up instantly. "Let's face it, Annabeth. I'm not like you or Jason or the others. Not good with organic life forms, I think was what my father so graciously put it. You all have a way with each other…make it seem so easy to interact with people around you that I'm constantly left thinking that there's something wrong with me when I can't do the same."

Annabeth remained silent, offering no comments and letting the curly haired boy continue his tale without disruptions, even as a painful internal struggle raged in her chest…Leo's predicament was so similar to her own anxieties, they nearly mirrored each other.

"I was just a young boy filled with awe, still am, at the wonder that he calls friends. It was all so new to him-me, fourteen straight years being the outcast and the target for bullies. I worked so hard to fit in, to cover up my shitty personality but when it turned out you guys didn't care about my weird obsession with mechanics and corny jocks and everything else me… you have no idea how overjoyed I was, Annabeth."

"Leo…none of us are perfect. We all have faults and insecurities too."

"Pfft." Leo scoffed, a sad smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "That may be, but you guys will always be perfect to me. You're beautiful and kind and a bloody genius that could take on any of the so called professors here. Jason's the most kind and loyal person I have ever known and Piper's sweet and caring. And Hazel…well she's freaking perfect as well isn't she? So fucking innocent and…gorgeous…"

"It's Hazel, isn't it?" Annabeth guessed softly, concluding from the tone of despair that had laced his voice at the mention of the dark haired girl. "Something happened between you two in the village today."

Leo stared at the grounds with a frozen expression and taking the cue, Annabeth followed his gaze to view the sight that had snatched her friend's attention throughout the evening. Two figures sat side by side at the edge of the lake, a big burly boy and a tiny girl with curly hair, a bow and sketchpad strewn carelessly between them.

"It's what _didn't_ happen. And it began last year." Leo met her concerned gaze with a pained smile. "Have you ever had that feeling of helplessness and confusion when someone does something totally unexpected?"

Annabeth stared at her lap, the frenzy of emotions that had overtook her in library making a comeback, the unused green handkerchief, which was tucked safely in her satchel despite the initial thoughts of discarding it, weighing down on her heart. The fabric had smelled, still smells, of the ocean and the sweet fragrance of the earth after a rain. It made her drowsy and fluttery at the same time and she loathed the way it had ensnared her senses for the rest of the day.

She loathed the way how Percy Jackson, without even trying, had such a befuddling effect on her mind and made her body long with a need that she was too afraid to even contemplate.

 **~0O0~**

 **I know, I know…please don't kill me! I admit, this was a really short chapter and probably didn't live up to your already small level of expectations and I am genuinely sorry for making you guys wait for so long! It's just, as I have mentioned earlier, thinks are very hectic at the moment and honestly, every single review would really help me in getting up the next chapter. I am in desperate need of you support!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Half-Blood High**

 **Chapter 5**

 **~0O0~**

Percy ran a frustrated hand through his hair, as the sky above him darkened and emitted low rumbles. He felt the cold wind sting his face and smart his eyes as he stared absently across the grey lapping surface of the lake, the whole world a shade dim under the shadowy blanket of the crying sky. He felt the damp coolness of the grass under him and stretched his tired limbs out. He had taken solace outside by the lake side, after the student body had returned from the village trip and the merry chatter and exclamations of the colorful stuff they had bought at the various stores gave him a sore headache. There was also that tiny incident at the library with a certain blonde that had him agitated and oddly restless.

"Why her?" he muttered to himself in irritation as his mind started to conjure up images of startling grey eyes, silky blonde hair, pink lips; plump and luscious and so absolutely fucking kissable…

He shook his head physically and let out a low growl as his traitorous mind conjured up yet more delicious images of _her_ and a shiver of anticipation ran through his core. He wanted her so bad, to just push her against the nearest wall in an abandoned class room and have his wicked way with her. The girl who had been haunting his dreams with her tingling laugh and innocent eyes as she licked her plump lips and gave him a wicked smile. He had lost the number of times he had woken up in the night, breathless and sweaty and gripping the sheets only to lay back down in disappointment when realization struck that she was all the way at the opposite end of the castle, sleeping peacefully in her own bed and nowhere near knowing the sleepless nights she caused him.

He wouldn't be in this condition if it had been _any other_ girl who constantly invaded his fantasies and left him in such a pathetic condition that he had to abruptly leave classes in the middle of lessons and find the nearest loo. No, if it had been any other female, he would have already lived out each and every fantasy he had ever had and she would have been more than happy to comply to his wishes. He was in no way stuck up, but who couldn't feel a little arrogant when he was popularly known as The Sex God of Half- Blood High or among some more intellectual groups as 'The Irresistible Eros'?

Percy couldn't honestly for the life of him fathom what made him react to her in such an intensely confusing way. He had had more than his fill of girls, in school as well as at drunken parties throughout the cities, but for some reason, the morning after the passion filled night when he nursed the inevitable hangover, his mind would wander back to the blonde…aching for just _one_ touch. He wanted her to see him, to talk to him, to at least just acknowledge his existence, even though he had no clue why he needed it so desperately. Perhaps that's why he had made it his mission to make her like miserable as much as he could, to push her buttons until she snapped and yelled at him and he could bask in the feeling of knowing that he wasn't invincible, that she could see him and was actually talking to him, even if it was at twice the normal decibel and may once or twice had included slaps to the face.

But it had been worth it, so worth it. After she had stormed of, he would stand there, cheeks stinging, his mind unable to discard the image of her fury, all tangled locks and smoldering grey orbs that made his heart pound faster and his mouth dry and a throbbing ache of need pass down south.

He clenched his fists in frustration, discarding the initial thoughts of erasing her from his mind, since that tactic had been proved useless for the last four years. Instead he focused his eyes over the lapping surface of the lake, squinting when he tried to get a closer look at two figures on the shore the opposite side a little to the right, who had suddenly cropped up in his vision. Frank, he concluded after a minute, taking into account the burly shape and the ridiculous amount of hand actions involved, and that girl from West Tower, one of _her_ friends. He watched them absently, a small part of him envying his best friend's state of happiness. When was the last time he had been at peace? Everything in his life at the moment seemed to be trying their hardest to pin him down, to drown him in an ocean of helplessness and for once, he felt he was sinking all the way to the bottom and no one could pull him out. The current situation with his father, his grades… that constant itch of longing under his skin, threatening to break out, whenever he glimpsed _her_ in the hallways or in a secluded nook in the library.

He left for the East Tower an hour later, figuring the rest of his Tower mates would be at dinner and he could catch a few seconds to himself. By the end of the night, he had decided that he no longer was going to suffer the agony of watching her from the shadows. He was done being the gentleman for four years and now it was time for the more animal, _inhuman_ side of him achieves its satisfaction. No longer was he going to wank of in the shower miserably while she strolled through the hallways, tempting curves on display and her maddening laughter drawing him out like a sirens song.

He was finally going to take what he needed…and Chase wouldn't know what hit her.

 **~0O0~**

Annabeth swallowed the bitter taste that lingered at the back of her throat, no thanks to the cup of frothy beer in her hands, of which she had taken a small token sip to appease a thoroughly drunk Piper, even as her own head swam and her skin prickled in the heat of the crowded room. She stood in a corner, plainly awkward in the midst of sweaty bodies grinding against each other to the heavy music resonating off the stone walls.

The East Tower was having one of its monthly parties, with crisps and other junk foods wheedled out of the kitchens and bottles of alcohol carefully smuggled in. They would bring out an old stereo system and play all the latest hits, which frankly to her, all sounded like some drunken idiot taking his frustration out on a couple of garbage bins. It was a much awaited night where everyone wore their trashiest clothes and makeup, the promise of a naughty time heavy in the atmosphere. It was a night Annabeth loathed with every fiber of her being.

"Come _on_ , Annie! Don't just _stand_ there!" the blonde looked up startled at the voice, only to find an intoxicated Piper, half supported by a disheveled Jason, who didn't seem to be in a much better shape himself. "Just…you know…dance and…drink and…dance!" she did a little twitch of her hips as a demonstration and nearly fell over.

" _Okay_." Annabeth replied frowning, as she wrestled the bottle of beer held tightly in the brunette's arm. "That's enough liquor for you for tonight. Jason, could you put this back? Because frankly, I don't thing Piper can walk two steps without kissing the floor."

As Jason disappeared through the crowd, Annabeth got hold of her swaying friend and helped her onto the nearest sofa. Piper immediately slipped off her black heels and curled up on the soft material, sighing peacefully as her head sank onto a cushion. She gave Annabeth a small sheepish smile while the blonde rolled her eyes and plopped down at the end of the couch.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Piper?" Annabeth demanded a bit harshly, as she looked for a suitable place to put down the bottle of beer that she had confiscated from the brunette. "You can't just go on drinking like this. It's completely reckless and irresponsible."

"I'm _sorry_ , Annie. You know I can't resist-" Piper shaky whisper broke off in anguish and blonde's glare softened a bit. Of course she knew why Piper drank. She had every reason to but it didn't mean she _should_. And as her best friend, Annabeth knew she was always going to be there to catch her when she fell.

"I know, Pipes." The blonde whispered gently while smoothing the brunette's hair back. "But you have to get over it, darling. It's been a year almost, Pipes, and you can't just let her pull you down like this. You have a whole life ahead of you that need not have to be constantly pulled back by one, depressing incident."

"Annie, why do you think she left me?" Piper voice cracked at the end and a glassy sheen took over her multicolored eyes and Annabeth got the uneasy feeling that her friend wasn't actually expecting an answer. Instead she settled for gently stroking her hair.

Annabeth looked around her, and after spotting Alicia bell and Michael Charring on the verge of literally doing it on one of the tables, she decided she had endured enough.

"Okay, everyone! Let's wind up this party!" Annabeth had to shout twice before someone turned off the music. "We need to get up early tomorrow and clean up this mess!"

"Come on, Chase!" someone shouted "We haven't even started yet!"

Agreements followed as the students stared at her in dismay.

"Stop being such a kill sport, Chase! Just because you prefer to live the life of a prude doesn't mean the rest of us have to too!" Alicia snapped which earned a few drunken giggles and a whoop.

"I'm not a prude." Annabeth replied coldly "I'm just making sure we won't get caught…"

How Annabeth wished she had left it at that. Because then she could have avoided the oncoming arguments and harsh words and the bottle of beer that she had to finish to prove to Alicia that she wasn't such a prude after all. And most of all, she could have avoided the harsh words that were about fall from her classmates and more painfully, from her own friends.

 **~0O0~**

Annabeth stumbled down the uneven stone steps, her hands clinging onto the polished wooden barrister for dear life, her footsteps echoing in the eerie atmosphere of the night. She had not a silver of idea where she was headed; all she knew was that she had to get away from that godforsaken party to catch a breath of fresh air and clear her pounding head.

 _You are literally the most stuck up person in the tower._

 _What a nightmare!_

A low, feral growl escaped the blonde's throat as Alicia's sharp voice cut through her mind, making her hands clench unconsciously. She could still feel the mocking eyes of the nearby students who had all looked on. She could still see the guilty faces of her friends as they stood back.

 _Well you know, it is sorta true, Annie. You do tend to be little…uptight._

 _Perhaps you could let go for one night?_

Of course she could bloody well let go for one night. She could let all nights if she really wanted to. But she couldn't afford to, could she? The part that stung the most though, Annabeth concluded tersely, was just how fast they had all forgotten all the things she did for them while they were out throwing up. She was the one who cleaned up the common room after a party in the morning so that they wouldn't be caught while the rest of them would be upstairs in bed, totally hung over. She was the one that held Piper's hair back while she emptied her guts into the toilet and made sure the boys had enough Advil stocked on the bedside table. She was the one who helped them on their due essays because they were still too sore from last night. She was the only one who did all this because only she chose to be sober.

 _Not anymore_ Annabeth thought drunk, stumbling down the last step, hiccupping slightly. Maybe she had a tiny bit more liquor than what was necessary to prove a point.

Piper's voice suddenly rang in her ears.

 _Yeah, you know Annie. You need to be more…adventures_.

Adventures. She'd show them adventures as soon as she figured out where the hell she was. The air had gotten chillier to the point where her breath misted in front of her and her hands visibly shook. The walls here were lower as compared to the west tower, the rough stones bigger and somehow a lot… _darker_.

Annabeth staggered to a halt, and after taking a few deep breathes, turned around to survey her surrounding, which she had neglected earlier thanks to her drunken stupor. Yes, the walls really _were_ darker, and so was the air and everything else in the corridor. She felt like invisible tentacles were reaching out and stroking her barren skin that caused a cold shiver run down her spine. That same terrifying feeling out in the grounds a month earlier griped her heart and paralyzed her onto the freezing stones underneath her.

Something sinister invincible was lurking in the air, just out of her view. She felt something was watching her through the dark shadows, making her heart beat out of control.

She had to get out of here. This empty, silent corridor with a sense of… _wrongness_ hanging heavily in the heavy air. She turned around and had taken a few steps back the way she came when a deep throated chuckle echoed off the walls, freezing her onto the floor.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." A voice said behind her "Little Chase all alone in the scary dungeons. I wonder what's going to happen now."

 **~0O0~**

 **So again, infinite apologies for the unedited, short chapter,** _ **again**_ **. This chapter was supposed to be longer but being in the middle of terminal exams, I had to split it up.**

 **My greatest thanks to all who took time to review last chapter! (I'll post my replies in the chapter;)) and also follow/ Favorite. You guys are AMAZING!**

 **Anyway don't forget to REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**IMPORTANT A/N: This is NOT a new chapter. On the contrary I have only extended Chapter 6 and actually finished it. For those of whom who have already read it before can scroll down and resume from where they left off.**

 **A HUGE THANK YOU to all of the people who took time to review this story.**

 **Blue chocolate chip cookies for all of you! (::) (::) (::)**

 **Half-Blood High**

 **Chapter-6**

 **~0O0~**

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." A voice said behind her. "Little Chase all alone in the scary dungeons. I wonder what's going to happen now."

Annabeth took a few shuddering gulps of the cold air, in the futile hope that it would calm her pounding heart. She clenched her fists, feeling a little sick when she felt the sweaty texture of the skin, and turned on her heels to face the shadows. A small part of her possessed the fact that she was currently in the dungeons and she remembered a stormy night in her first year, when she had poured through a thick tome on the history of the school. The dungeons were the lair of the tortured slaves, the spot of pleasure for the old Lords. These were the floors where a thousand lives had screamed hoarse for death and a thousand more torn limb to limb and for a moment she wondered if she was on the verge of encountering the same sick, cruel fate.

"Who are you?" her voice was barely above a whisper and carried feebly across the dim hall way, but it still surprised her how steady she sounded when inside, all her cells were screaming at her to run away.

"Why Chase, you don't recognize me?" a figure moved from the wall a few feet ahead of her, his features becoming more clear with each slow step he took in her direction. "I must say, I am a little hurt."

Her head still swam and despite the chilliness of the dungeons, her sweaty skin still prickled uncomfortably, signs screaming that her body and mind were still under the influence of alcohol. The person stopped a few feet in front of her and from the new perspective, she absently noted that he was a good foot or two taller than her. When her eyes finally roamed his face, her breath hitched, as the all too familiar smirk etched on his visage seemed to taunt her.

"Jackson" his name fell out of her lips as if in prayer, shrouded in such a thick layer of relief that had she been in a sober state, she would have definitely tried jumping out the nearest window in mortification. Instead she laughed; a full from the guts laughter that had her clutching her sides and wiping tears from her eyes in mirth. The air around her felt suddenly different, as though something had disturbed its constant dark soberness and with a pang she wondered if these walls had ever been graced with a sound other than bloody screams of the tortured slaves as they experienced excruciating pain at the hands of the sick, demented Lords. She wondered for one heart stopping moment if anyone had ever laughed out in sincere joy in the dungeons and her mirth ceased.

She realized Jackson had been watching her in silence the whole time, his face a complete mask of indifference as she chocked a lung up. She took a deep breath and raised her chin to meet his piercing green orbs. A small part of her flashed back to the first time she had seen him, the way she had stared into those spheres of absolute green which were always shifting and swirling like miniature hurricanes.

"Are you done being crazy, Chase?" he sneered but it struck her that his voice wasn't as malicious as it normally was. "Of course, I can't say I'm surprised. Always having your nose in a book and being the official prude of Half-Blood High, your wound up so tight your sanity had to give at _some_ point."

That had her eyes flash up at him "I'd rather be a prude than a man- whore like you Jackson. At least when I meet a guy, I don't have to rack my brain to remember if I had ever slept with him."

"Big words, Chase." His eyes had gone dead cold, a look that she thought he reserved just for her and one that inevitably always send a shiver down her spine. "And look where it got you. You're drunk and aimlessly roaming the dungeons, obviously after taking a huge hit to your ego. And if my wager is right, your so called friends were involved in whatever shit that has you so riled up."

Her blood ran cold at his words and for one ridiculous moment she wondered if Jackson had planted spies in their tower. "How-who told you that?"

He merely raised an eye brow at her. "It wasn't exactly hard to put together. It's common knowledge in the castle that the West Tower is having one of its usual parties tonight. And after watching you being the only one somber in countless parties since we met, I know _normally_ , you wouldn't be drunk an ounce. But you _are_ tonight, thoroughly so, and I know it wouldn't have been solely on your own choice."

He continued, his molten gaze never leaving her shocked face. "As for the friends part, I know you aren't the type of person to take the words of people who aren't too close to you seriously. When that moron Rodriguez called you a whore in third grade, you did nothing but laugh in his face but when your pal Valdez accused you of not helping him in his homework one day at breakfast you wouldn't crack a smile the whole day. You have tear stains smeared all over your cheeks right now, so it's again kind of obvious they had a role to play too."

Annabeth had forgotten how to breathe. "How did you know so mu- about Chris?" she had been about to say _so much about me_ but quickly corrected herself at the last moment.

"I was there." Jackson shrugged indifferently and only later would she know that he had punched the boy right after she had left.

"Well-That's…that's all actually quite observative." she cleared her throat awkwardly "Didn't really expect that from you."

He took a step closer to her and she shivered when she realized she could hear him breathing. "Well, Chase, you'll be happy to know I'm full of surprises."

She stared into his swirling green orbs, a little uneasy when he held her gaze with an unexpected determination and she found her gaze falling onto his lips, which she already knew looked full and pink and soft. It was unfair just how beautiful he was and it occurred to her that if she leaned in just a little she could taste him. She realized the dangerous turn her thoughts had taken and quickly took a step back before she did something that she would later regret.

"It's late and past curfew." She found herself saying monotonously. "We should head back to our dorms."

Jackson smirked at her "And there she is, folks the real Annabeth Chase. She's a goody two shoed even when she's drunk and the stick up her-"

He was cut short when she took a step forward and crashed her lips onto his. She was _so_ tired, _so_ sick of hearing the same thing that day that she had reacted without thinking. She knew she had to pull back and apologize but found that she couldn't untangle herself from him. And when he kissed her back with equal fervor, she threw caution to the wind.

He pulled her closer, her chest flushed against his hard, muscled torso. His strong hands snaked around her waist and her hands went around his neck, her fingers running through his silky, soft locks. Their lips molded together perfectly and she greedily licked up his salty taste. She moaned a little when he felt him bite her lower lip and he groaned when she slipped her tongue into his mouth. When she felt his hands sneak under her shirt, for a traitorous moment she was tempted to continue. When she felt his warm touch sending shivers down her spine, something in her brain suddenly registered the consequences of her actions and she roughly pushed him away.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded, furiously wiping her mouth.

"You tell me, Chase." Jackson smirked at her. His white shirt was messed up, and his lips were distinctively red and swollen. Annabeth felt herself go red at the thought that _she_ was the one responsible for his current appearance. "You were the one who jumped me."

She could feel herself turn red. "I'm-I'm sorry. I was-am drunk."

Before Jackson could reply Leo's voice rang from around the corridor.

"And it won't happen again." She promised before running down the hallway. The green eyed boy watched as her golden curls disappeared around the corner, and melted away into the shadows, a triumphant smirk etched on his face. It wouldn't be too long now before she broke.

 **~0O0~**

The next morning, Annabeth groaned as the bright sunlight hit her face. She buried her face in the pillow and fought back another wave of nausea. Her throat felt dry and caked and the thirst for something cool was so overpowering that the blonde finally shoved her way off the bed, a protective hand held in front of her eyes to block out the harsh sunrays. Across the room she found Piper's head buried deeply into her own pillow, her brunette hair a rats nest from last night's activities and Annabeth groaned at the thought that her hair was probably not any better. Hazel was once again nowhere to be seen and the blonde had the uneasy feeling that the curly haired girl was out frolicking with a certain East Town archer. After that evening with Leo, Annabeth hadn't quite figured out her feelings in regard to the strange relationship. She had toyed with the idea of bringing it up with Hazel, just to clear the air, but somehow the right opportunity never came up and she didn't want the others to know about it just yet, keeping in mind that Leo had opened up to her in full confidence only because he trusted her, and Annabeth wouldn't do anything to poison such a strong friendship. Jackson _had been_ right, she thought wryly, she would do anything for the people she was close with.

Thinking of Jackson inevitably had her mind flooding with last night's kiss and she closed her eyes for a while, breathing in deep to control the frenzy of emotions that had suddenly taken flight in her pounding heart and throbbing limbs. She had no clue how to act now, had no idea what the next part of the plan was and the enormity of the situation suddenly hit her, that for the first time in her life she felt scared to face the day and wanted nothing more in the world to curl back up in her bed, safe under her cocoon of soft sheets, away from the line of judgments of her friends and the scorching hot gaze of the man that still send shivers down her body and had her gasping for breath.

She couldn't understand what the _hell_ she had been thinking when jumping on the spawn of the devil himself, like every other simpering, mindless girls in the school. It was like her brain had decided to take a break for the first time last night, overheated after seventeen years of rigorous work and her hormonal body had taken the driver's seat. And now she felt she had dug herself into a pit.

 _Unless…._

Annabeth took in a deep breath. Unless…she pretended it didn't happen at all. At the end of the day she _had_ been shit drunk and any actions under the influence of alcohol wasn't supposed to be taken seriously. And she _had_ told him nothing would happen again and there was really no need to burden her friends with the little piece of information. She'd tell them later in some sort of truth or dare and they'd all laugh over it.

And Jackson would most probably be relieved as well. He certainly did have quite a coveted reputation to keep up and the fact that he would ever touch a nerd, "official prude" in his own words, like her would probably not look good on his meticulous level of standard.

So it was decided then, last night's events were solely due to the unholy level of alcohol in her blood stream and it played no role in her life from that point onwards.

As she stared out at the bright horizon, chewing her lips anxiously, she tried not to think of the fact that _Jackson_ had never been drunk and had no excuse for continuing that sinful kiss with her….and yet he had.

 **~0O0~**

"Ugh, I feel like I'm dead!" Leo moaned pathetically, sliding the bowl of warm porridge across the dining table, and knocked his head onto the barren wood. "Someone please turn of those fucking lights-they're killing me!"

Annabeth looked doubtfully at the huge glass windows of the cafeteria, through which bright sunlight streamed into the crowded room and couldn't quite find it in herself to pass this observation onto Leo. Instead she forced herself to take another sip of the soothing ginger tea cradled in her hands, a desperate attempt to calm her hurling stomach before she had to face her morning lessons. Jason had staggered out only moments before, his eyes red and burly thanks to the frequent trips to the loo last night, and hours of upchucking the contents of his stomach had not been enough for his body to forgive him for downing two more larger of beer right before going to bed. Piper had not even bothered to lift her head up from the pillow and had merely managed to mumble out a disoriented excuse for missing classes that day.

"You're starting to sound like a vampire, Leo" the blonde muttered but her frantic eyes never left the large open doors of the cafeteria as she took note of everyone entering and breathing a sigh of relief each time she saw it wasn't _him_. Somehow, even after the well thought out pep talk she had given herself in front of the mirror that morning (she had to whisper; Piper had been sleeping nearby), for some annoying reason her heart still beat out of control and waves of anxiety flooded her stomach every time she thought of that-that _green eyed, pathetic excuse for a human being_.

It was honestly a relief when the bell rang and she could leave the suffocating cafeteria and join the crowd of students leaving for first lessons. She mumbled a quick good bye to Leo, who had started to slightly snore and Annabeth absently noted to conjure up a satisfactory excuse for , their Spanish teacher, because it looked like Leo would probably never make in time for the start of the hour.

She quickly wiped her way through the crowd, her eyes fixed on the hard stone floor, her heart leaping to her throat every time she thought someone called her name. She spotted Alicia by a girl's washroom, her manicured hands flying over her phone and Annabeth quickly ducked around the corner. She was in no mood to open the flood gates on last night's disastrous events and concentrated solely on getting to the safety of her classroom.

Of course, once she settled down at her usual place in the front, she felt like the biggest idiot to walk the planet, because _Jackson_ was in this class as well, though he hadn't arrived yet. All the trouble she went through, dodging through the hallway like some sort of illicit criminal when all along the officer she was hiding from was in her same safe house. No that analogy was completely wrong, it made _her_ sound like some sort of a trouble maker whereas he was the good guy, out to save the day. The only criminal there was Jackson, he was a dirty, sly, foul…cockroach.

Annabeth tapped her feet anxiously, her head bent low over her notes, pretending to work on her homework as the rest of the students slowly trickled in. She let out a sigh of relief when the bell rang and Mrs. Gonzales bustled in, her arms filled with the stack of the pop quiz from last week, while the rest of the class let out a groan. Annabeth though couldn't stop the beam that stretched across her face, and it wasn't solely due to the perfect score she had received. It looked like Jackson had decided to skip the morning classes and though under normal circumstances she would have turned her nose up in disapproval, at present she couldn't help thank all the gods she knew for helping her dodge that particular catastrophe.

Time flew past quickly then, Annabeth noted grudgingly, when her mind wasn't burdened with anxiety. She focused her attention on the text in front of her, carefully taking down notes and she _almost_ missed the door opening and the sound of someone entering. Her heart froze when she saw Jackson swaggering over to the teachers table. His crisp white shirt was unbuttoned at the top and the sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, his tie loosely knotted, giving him the appearance of someone who had just rolled out of bed. His black hair was messy as ever and his lips were quirked up to a smirk as he spoke to Mrs. Gonzales in a low drawl. Suddenly, as though feeling her gaze on him, he turned and met her eyes for a few seconds. She could feel herself freeze and go warm at the same time and she quickly dropped her eyes, her heart pounding in her ears.

"You may take your seat now, Mr. Jackson" Mrs. Gonzales sighed resignedly, tucking the late pass away and handing the said boy a sheet of paper. "And I must say, you have done remarkably well in the last pop quiz. If this keeps up, Miss. Chase and yourself could very well be tied for first position."

Annabeth kept her gaze on her notes, her mind storing away the startling piece of information for pondering later on in the comforts of her dorm room; she had no idea Jackson's academic prowess had extended this far. She tensed when he brushed past her to his seat at the back. The rest of the lesson was a blur to her; she hadn't turned back but she was certain a pair of green eyes had been digging holes into her head for the last one hour.

When the bell rang Annabeth let out a relived sigh and started gathering her stuff up, eager to get out of the stifling class room, when in one clumsy move she managed to knock her bag down onto the floor, books and papers and pens scattering onto the cold stone floor in loud echoes. She stared at the mess for a moment, a part of her considered just leaving it there and coming back later but in the end she let out another sigh and crouched down to pick everything up. A hand suddenly appeared in her vision holding a stack of papers with her name on it and she looked up to meet a pair of sea green eyes, devoid of emotions. She took the papers from Jackson with slightly trembling hands, her gaze stubbornly fixed on the floor.

"Thanks" she muttered but he had already brushed past her, his unknotted tie swaying as he disappeared out the door and into the sea of students.

 **~0O0~**

Annabeth wound her hair up into a messy bun, a hair band held between her teeth as she stumbled down the stair case with the other West Tower students. She could see the night sky through the large oriel windows passing her side and she absently noted that it was a full moon tonight. There was a special dinner scheduled tonight, of which they were informed through the notice boards in their common rooms that afternoon, to formally invite the students and teachers to the Annual Ball going to be conducted next month. It was quite reputed among the student circle both inside and outside the Academy, with dazzling ice sculptors on displays and famous bands coming in for gigs. It was open only to the fifth and sixth year students and they were even allowed to bring in ball gowns and tuxedos at the beginning the term or send for the same through their family or place orders at the local clothes shops down at the village, who would contact outside garment boutiques and make a tidy profit.

Annabeth thought the whole thing was simply tedious, required a lot of unnecessary time wasted on planning and had already begun contemplating breaking her leg just before the ball and thus saving herself from a night of loud music, unchecked drinking and a strong migraine.

"I can't wait!" Piper squealed at her side, her face full of exuberant joy. The brunette had spent most of the day in bed and had managed to fight off her hang over. "This is the year we can _finally_ attend those bloody dances. Oh god, how long I had longed for this moment to arrive!"

Annabeth for her part, quite honestly and not surprisingly, did not find herself sharing the same excitement as her friend and the rest of the student population. She tried prodding her feelings experimentally, but found no other emotion coursing through her body than resignation and exhaustion; it had been a rather long day and she could have definitely done with an early night. Playing hide and seek with Jackson today had surprisingly taken a lot of energy and careful calculation on her part, lest she run into the spawn of the devil in the hall way. She could still feel the power of his gaze on her back and his cold, emotionless eyes had sent a shiver down her spine for the rest of the morning. She had the uncanny feeling of staring into pits of swirling green waves whenever he looked at her.

"Calm your horses Pipes. It's only the announcement tonight. The ball isn't due for at least a month from now!"

"Annabeth Minerva Chase, you did _not_ just say that!" Piper looked so serious and indignant, for a moment Annabeth actually paused and started to wonder if she _had_ said something uncouth. But then she remembered this was _Piper_ she was talking about; the girl who frolicked her way through Spain without visiting a single monument, and she put her worry to rest.

"Don't you see, it's the principle of the thing!" the brunette added, staring at her defiantly.

Annabeth honestly didn't see but kept her mouth shut. She let Piper carry on her rambles and managed to nod at the appropriate places, her mind already tuned out and pondering the content of the supper menu.

They entered the dining hall, filled with chatter and the delicious smell of the various delicacies their latest head chef from France had conjured up, and made their way to their usual seat at the right corner.

"Jason's going to run a tad late. He's on the phone with his father."Piper explained as she saved the seat next to her. Annabeth nodded and proceeded to secure the seat next to her for the other absent male of their group.

"Good idea. Leo will probably turn up later too; he landed detention with Mrs. Gonzales for skipping classes today." Annabeth winced sympathetically as she recalled the events after their Spanish lesson. The blonde had somberly informed the Spanish teacher that Leo had informed her that he was quite terribly ill and hadn't stirred from his bed all morning. She had found a rather sympathetic listener in her teacher and Mrs. Gonzales looked very much concerned about the only student in her class with a Spanish ancestry; she even suggested he borrowed some special Mexican cold relief medicine she always kept in her bedside drawer, which she had acquired from a voodoo woman down in Minnesota. Annabeth highly doubted the actions of this 'miraculous weed' but had instead nodded politely and assured her that she would pass the message onto the sick boy.

Unfortunately, five minutes after their conversation, Mrs. Gonzales walked into the dining hall for her usual brunch and found the so called sick boy who was supposed to be holed up in his bed five stories above, sitting at a table with his head in a plate of cold egg, snoring lightly, not in the least bit sick. Needless to say he landed a detention on the spot whereas Annabeth got away with a strict warning of never to take messages from untrustworthy sources.

She looked around the bustling room now and found Dare directly to her right, by the buffet table, chatting to a bemused Ethan Nakamura. She idly wondered if something was going on between them when she noted another figure standing close by; Hazel and Zhang. Annabeth frowned a little and contemplated getting Hazel's side of the story that night. Leo hadn't quite been the same ever since the curly haired girl had announced her relationship with Zhang. The copper haired boy had lost the usual spark in his eyes and would abruptly leave the table whenever Hazel came over.

"Psst, Annie." Piper hissed poking her side rather painfully.

"Ow-What?"

"Jackson's staring at you!"

Annabeth felt her heart rate pick up as she slowly turned around in her seat to look over in the direction of the East Tower tables. Jackson sat at the most crowded table, the people around him all laughing merrily and trying in vain to get his attention. Trying in vain, as his eyes were fixed _right on her_. Annabeth could feel her blood freeze, not only because of the absurdity of his attention on her, but of the utter iciness that swam in those sea green orbs. She felt like she was staring at a frozen lake, frigid and uncaring. Then all of a sudden, he looked away, as though the strange incident had never taken place.

"That's weird. Why does he keep doing that?"

"He wasn't looking at me, Pipes" Annabeth tried to sound as convincing as possible, even adding a small surprised laughter. "He was definitely ogling his girlfriend. Look behind you!"

Piper turned and they both gazed silently for a minute at the laughing figure of Dare, whose skirt was turned up a good six inches above regulation and the top three buttons of her white blouse open.

"Ugh, yuck. You're right!" Piper suppressed a shiver as she turned back and met Annabeth's eyes. "Though, to just openly stare at someone like that with no regard of their feelings. What a pig!"

Annabeth agreed whole heartedly; though she had the uneasy feeling that he knew _exactly_ how uncomfortable he made her feel and the unusual staring was just some lame, pathetic scheme of his to watch her squirm in her seat; he was probably laughing his head off inside, watching her become all flustered and red.

Annabeth grit her teeth and willed her body to relax. She would show that idiot he had no control over her mind. She found herself asking Piper her plans for the ball and felt herself slowly loosen up as her friend's chatter of the perfect dress and diamond encrusted shoes slowly washed over her worries and instead gave her a sleepy haze. Jason joined them soon after, and though she noted he looked a little distant, the topic then easily diverted to home work and the latest foot ball team try outs to include the boy. By the time Principal Chiron had wheeled himself into the center of the hall, two students she had never seen before walking behind him, and had started the formal details and procession of the Annual Ball, Annabeth had managed to entirely forget about the green eyed man sitting a few feet behind her, whose eyes she was sure were digging holes into the back of her head. Well, almost forget.

 **~0O0~**

 **Don't forget to REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry, sorry! I have no excuse. Absolutely none for updating so late.** **I have been suffering from writers block and a severe case of…laziness. Sorry. But I'll try my hardest to post more frequently.**

 **Thank you for all the reviews! And a hundred and twenty six followers, WHAT?**

 **I don't deserve it, but thank you all the same. I LOVE YOU, GUYS!**

 **Half-Blood High**

 **Chapter 7**

 **~0O0~**

"A very warm evening to one and all present here. I do hope you have all had a rather satisfactory term so far." Chiron's voice was soft but commanding, so much so that Annabeth ceased her fidgeting and sat up straight, though she already knew what was coming up, having quietly been nodding off inside for the last four years whenever this speech came up "Just one or two matters to clear up. First, I would like to introduce two new members to our family. Mr. Beckendorf, if you may please step forward?"

Whispers broke out in the hall as the large boy who entered the hall with Chiron lumbered into the centre. He wore the standard Academy uniform, but one could tell he worked out a lot from the muscles rippling through his shirt.

" had very recently been a top student at his previous school, Goode Academy and is particularly reputed for his skill full hands…" a lot of girls erupted into giggles and it took Annabeth a few seconds to get the joke "…in the field of wood work. After much deliberation, he has been placed into the West Tower where I hope he shall be treated with utmost respect and companion ship."

Chiron's warm brown eyes gazed thoughtfully in their direction before he asked the Beckendorf to join one of the West Tower tables. Annabeth looked on sourly as an overly enthusiastic Alicia nudged up in her seat and started chatting up the new boy, who if she were to be honest, looked quite uninterested.

"Next we have a former student of Clarion Girls Academy, Miss. Atlas." Chiron continued as a girl stepped forward. She had milky pale skin and long, golden brown hair tied into an elegant French braid. She had a haughty look on her face and her caramel eyes were scanning the room almost hungrily. Suddenly the girl looked quite stricken before she wrenched her gaze from the East Tower tables. Annabeth, seemingly the only one to notice the queer behavior, immediately turned back and her eyes zeroed in on Jackson, who looked completely horrified at the sight of the new girl. And as though feeling her gaze on him, he met her eyes for a second, before his face assumed the cool indifference it always wore.

Annabeth watched on as the new girl walked over to the South Tower table, her eyes alert for any more glances between the unlikely duo, even as Chiron trudged on through the contents of the Annual Ball, but the Miss. Atlas barely looked up from her plate of lettuce leafs and tomatoes the rest of the evening, and flounced out the door as soon as dinner was finished.

"I say, isn't it a little late for these people to join a new school?" Jason asked as they made their way back up to the West Tower. "I mean, it is practically exams next month!"

"They probably brewed up some sort of trouble at their last schools and got kicked out for it. That girl is definitely not some walk in the park, looking down on us as though we were a bunch of puny peasants. The nerve!" Piper quipped haughtily, which quickly morphed into one of despair "And speaking of trouble, Mr. Salt will have my head tomorrow if I don't turn in my Chemistry homework. Annie, you wouldn't be a darling and lend me your notes for a few hours?"

Annabeth stifled a yawn, her mind now solely focused on the warmth of her bed and a goodnight's sleep. "Sure"

 **~0O0~**

The next morning, Annabeth was shaken awake by an annoyed Piper.

"What?" the drowsy blonde murmured, turning over in her bed and pressing her face deeper into her pillow. She peered at the clock on her bedside and was a little surprised to find it had just gone half past six.

"Annie!" Piper wailed miserably, her hair disarray and still clad in her pale nightgown "You forgot to lend me your note book last night and I've got chemistry first period. Mr. Salt is going to fucking drown me in a can of sulfur if I don't turn mine in today. I turned your bag upside down and it isn't there!"

Annabeth reluctantly got up and stared at her messy table, her lower lip jutting out and her grey eyes glazed over. She tried to wrench her mind to the present and recall where she had shoved the bloody book. She hadn't used it…since that horrid lesson with Jackson as her partner. She had stormed up to her room in a rage that day and had dumped her things in the drawer.

"The second drawer on the right." Annabeth exclaimed suddenly and was grateful when Piper rushed over to her table without waiting for an explanation.

As Piper started to furiously scribble on her side of the room, Annabeth stretched lazily and let out a relaxed moan, letting the pale sunrays dance across her face. She smiled to herself, glad that systematically going through her school work gave her such rare moments of relaxation.

A string of curses broke the peace, and Annabeth turned to face its source, but Piper had not bothered to look up from her work, which evidently going by her choice of words, weren't exactly easy. Deciding she had had enough sleep Annabeth slipped out of her blankets and padded off to take a shower, making sure to close the door softly to not wake the sleeping Hazel.

Twenty minutes later, the blonde had slipped on her uniform and had just finished toweling her hair, letting it air dry, when she noticed the state of her satchel. Piper, true to her words, had turned it upside down, and her texts and papers lay scattered on the table.

With a resigned sigh she started to stack them back in order, and as she grabbed a few sheets of paper, a small emerald green piece of parchment fluttered down to the floor. Curious, she bent down to pick it up. Her blood ran cold when she read the neat hand printed on it.

"Annabeth, aren't you coming down to breakfast?"

Annabeth whirled around, her heart pounding in her throat, the note clutched behind her as she stared at Hazel, who stood by the door.

"I'll be there in a minute." She managed to choke out.

When the curly haired girl left, Annabeth took a deep breath and her hungry grey eyes swam over the note again. She felt her knees weaken, as the few words engraved on it, seemingly so harmless, brought to surface the mixture of dread and anxiety that she had managed bottled up for the past one day, since that fateful encounter with the devil.

 _Meet me at the same spot as Wednesday night at 9 tomorrow._

 _And don't even think about running, Annie. I'll chase._

 _-PAJ_

 **~0O0~**

"Yo! Earth to Annabeth." Leo's hand waved across the startled blonde's face "Giant spiders marching in through the door."

"I'm here." Annabeth mumbled, staring down at her plate of mashed potato, as she was pulled away from her jumbled thoughts and back into the loud bustle of the dining hall at lunch. She hadn't, even with all her will power, been able to push that note away from her mind. She figured he must have slipped it in with her stuff yesterday at Spanish when he had helped her. She wished she hadn't seen that note, at least not today, so by the time she _did_ notice it the meeting would have been pointless.

But with a wry turn of her lips, she realized that the scenario of her missing the message would have been highly unlikely, considering the fact that it had been so inconspicuously slipped into her school work, and it was the one thing which she would never leave unchecked. Her breathing turned haggard when it struck her that _Jackson_ had been counting on it as well and it made her warily question just how long he had been surveying her.

He had known of the time she'd punched Chris in the face, though it had been so long ago that the memory was hazy in her own mind. He had seen right through her act that night, his reasoning of her unusual behavior had been so astute, she wondered idly if he was psychic, or something more…..Jackson had always been a mystery, an incomplete puzzle her mind was desperate to solve. Every action of his made her itch to find the source. He was worshiped everywhere he went, and though he seemed to bask in his unfair popularity, did no one ever notice the way his lips would turn up mockingly, clearly outlining the fact that he saw everything as a game he had to win in and the consequences of his victory held no regard to him?

There was of course no question of her going. He could wait there till midnight if he wanted to and she wouldn't bat an eye. In spite of her assured absence at the meeting with Jackson tonight, it did little to calm her worrying nature. She wasn't going to be able to have peace until all this passed away for good.

" _Ok-ay._ As I was _saying_ , the chics completely crazy!" Leo banged the table for good measure, and Jason cursed when his glass of water topped over. "I mean, normally I would be all for being alone with a hot girl in an empty corridor, but fuck, there's so much a man can take!"

Leo breathed in deeply, his fists unclenching below the table. Annabeth frowned in worry and turned her direction at Piper, who quickly filled her in on what she had missed thanks to imaginary Jackson.

"Some girl assaulted Leo when he was returning from detention last night" the brunette scoffed slightly, turning her fork around in her plate. She leaned in closer to Jason, who eyes had a slight glazed look in them. Annabeth felt something prick her mind, as though there was something she was missing, a tiny memory that was refusing to surface from the deep pit of her mind, something important that she had to know.

"I think I'm going to leave now." Leo suddenly declared sharply, straightening up with a blank mask neatly set on his face. But his façade bore cracks, and the blonde could clearly see the pain that twisted his visage.

"But lunch has only started!" Piper exclaimed, untangling herself from her boyfriend "And you've barely touched your enchiladas! I thought they were your favorite…"

"I've lost my appetite." He whispered softly and his eyes flickered fleetingly towards the entrance hall where Hazel and Frank were just leaving, before he strode out of the room.

"Annabeth, where are _you_ going, now?"

"I-I remembered something I have to do. Something important." Annabeth muttered pushing her plate away, her mind resolved as she dodged into the relatively empty corridor outside and craned her neck to find the couple that was the cause of her friend's misery.

Leo's warm brown eyes popped into her mind, desperate and shiny with unshed tears off betrayal and her pace fastened.

She was going to get some answers today.

 **~0O0~**

Calypso Atlas glared morbidly out a window somewhere along the fifth floor of the castle, her intense brown eyes never flickering as it drank in the vast lake sprawled out in the green, its shiny blue surface personifying a mirror, the horizon indistinguishable as the sky and lake, air and water blended in together in an unusual harmony.

He was here. She had known of course, a horrible month of pulling strings and growling at unreceptive feet had assured it, but still, it had been quite a shock, when she held his familiar gaze again, his orbs tortured as he drank in her presence as though she was a ghost from his past, highly dangerous and most definitely unwelcome.

No one saw her perspective though, when she had to face that crowd last night, all probing eyes judging her to the barest twitch of her eyes, never once realizing the pounding of her heart as she gazed at the man she once thought was her lifeline, her only savior, the one who would finally save her from her curse…who in the end turned out to be exactly like the others; his words had only been smoke, swirling away and disappearing around her hapless figure as soon as he ducked out of the picture, once his sentence was completed.

Calypso turned away after a moment, and her haunting footsteps echoed in the empty hallway and after a few minutes all was peaceful.

Except her mind, as the fiercest battle consumed her senses, her heart and mind warring within her body as she was still left undecided; was she ready to let go of her past and start a new life, a life that she had always dreamed?

Or would her thirst for vengeance, fueled on by years of betrayal and anger, take its hold on her and unleash her silent fury upon the unsuspecting souls of Half-Blood High, especially upon a certain green eyed swordsman?

The night wore on and as she tossed in her bed high up in the south tower, her mind still chaotic due to her indecision, the need of a new start and hunger for revenge refusing to settle down within her, she snorted when she remembered how she had thought she had been in love with him once upon a time.

 _Not anymore_ her mind came with the answer so clearly and distinctly she smiled wryly, content that she was able to agree on _something_ that day before she fell into an uncomfortable slumber.

 **~O0O~**

"You won't get away with this you know?" she spat at the figure, her gaze never flinching as she stared into the dark barrel of the gun.

It laughed, a strange sound that echoed around the dark room "Oh, but I already have!"

It pulled the trigger and the shot rang across the room.

She fell to floor, her blue eyes staring at nothing.

"And you're only the beginning."

 **~0O0~**

 **Review!**

 **And guys I've put up a story on Wattpad. It's on werewolves and since I saw all the lovely response to** _ **Luna Sanguinius**_ **I thought you guys would like to check it out. It's written in a different style than how I usually write, though, so your thoughts would be brilliant to have. Here's a teaser:**

 **The Girl From Hell:** _**"Thanks for rejecting me! Because mate or not, I do not want to die of AIDS!" And I punch him. In the face. Hard.**_ **' She is rejected, publicly humiliated and heartbroken. So what is a girl to do but strap on her heels and make his life hell?**

 **Here's the link: myworks/148365313-the-girl-from-hell**

 **And I shall try to update** _ **Luna Sanguinius**_ **soon. It is ALSO a werewolf story but this time, it's Percy who is playing the dark, mysterious, hot werewolf and Annabeth is at his mercy. Or so we think because unfortunately for him she turns out to be his mate.**

 **Here's the summary**

 **Luna Sanguinius:** **"Look who's come to join us boys! The little princess of Eviola" the green eyed man sneered. Annabeth bit her lips as he leaned in closer and whispered "Welcome to the forest princess. I doubt you are going to like it" Or the one where Annabeth is a princess and has been thrown to the wolves and Percy can't wait to sink his teeth into her neck. Werewolf! Percy Mate! Annabeth Percabeth!**

 **Have a good day!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A moment of silence, as we watch the review box. A HUNDRED REVIEWS, WHAT?!**

 **Half-Blood High**

 **Chapter 8**

 **~0O0~**

"Hazel!"

Annabeth sucked in another blast of cold air as she raced through the stone hallway, mercifully empty at this time. The couple she was trying to catch was just about to turn the corner when Zhang, bless him, looked back and caught her pathetic form struggling to keep up.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" the blonde managed to get out in one breath when she reached them, her grey eyes flickering to Zhang uncertainly "Alone?"

"Of course." Zhang replied easily, giving her a small smile. He quickly pecked Hazel on the cheek before walking away towards the library "See you around, Annabeth!"

It wasn't what she had been expecting, him being best friends with Jackson and all, but she was able to will her hand to wave back. Zhang was…nice. She wasn't sure if it was going to make the oncoming conversation any easier.

"So…" Annabeth found herself clearing her throat nervously as she found herself alone with Hazel, all the early fuel leeching out of her like tea in a strainer. "He's… pretty nice."

"He is" Hazel replied, her brilliant gold eyes scrutinizing her friends face, and Annabeth tried to look anywhere but the brunette "But I'm guessing that's not why you're here?"

"Right" Annabeth bobbed her head, hitching the strap of her satchel higher up her shoulder "Let's take a walk, shall we?"

They started down the corridor, neither having a particular idea of where they were heading, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Hazel, I-" Annabeth began.

"I can explain!" the said girl exclaimed at the same moment.

Annabeth frowned "Explain what?"

Hazel took a deep breath, looking out the nearest window "Look, I'm not sure exactly what this is about. But I'm assuming it has something to do with my relationship with Frank?"

Annabeth nodded once uncertainly, chewing her tongue. It did have something to do with him. He was a part of it, however small.

"I know you're history with Jackson isn't very pleasant." Hazel said, wringing her hands nervously "And I can understand if you consider my friendship with Frank as … _fraternizing with the enemy_ , I guess."

Hazel looked at her expectantly, and the blonde felt her herself go numb, the pounding of her heart growing fainter in amplitude, almost as though she was looking at herself from a long tunnel. Fuck, she hadn't even considered the situation from such an angle and the plausibility of it wasn't exactly low and she started to feel bad for Hazel, who had probably been constantly shadowed by the feeling of betraying her friends, however illogical it may be, and had been dreading this exact conversation at a point of time when Annabeth herself didn't even know of its existence.

"He's a good guy Annabeth. I mean, Frank is..."Hazel sighed in frustration, her cinnamon hair in the danger of being permanently tangled in her anxious fingers "I finally feel like I've done something right in my life for once. I don't mean some bullshit about him being my other half or-or how I needed to find the right man to feel like I'm going somewhere in life. I don't. No one does!"

"But it makes me feel proud that I actually gave it a chance, instead of dictating it would never work before it even began. When I first agreed to make it official between us, I was terrified Annabeth. I was scared what people would say about me in the West Tower dating someone from the East, I was afraid of what his friends would make of me, dreading that they would declare me not worthy of him, and I was positively petrified what you guys would think, that I was giving up our friendship for a boy. A boy, who until yesterday, we viewed as someone hostile, all because of his friendship with Jackson."

The silence that followed was strange, not exactly uncomfortable but at the same time one that made Annabeth's toes curl up. "I really-I don't know what to say, Haze."

"Then don't. Just listen." Hazel smiled at her softly "Once I stopped caring about what others thought, I felt strong. I realized that my fear of other's opinions would have been able to deny me the pleasures of the best relation I've had in my life. I think that's one of the main reasons holding people back from what they want, the irrational fear of not being accepted. But true happiness doesn't actually come from what others think of you. It's what you think of yourself and once we understand that, forget the norms of the people around us and focus on _us_ for a moment, we can figure out what we really want. If we truly desire something, however messed up it may seem to others, well- it's none of their business is it?"

"But I do care about my friends' opinions, and I would like to clear the air between us. I've wanted to for a while and I've seen the looks you guys give Frank. But you don't know him the way I do, and I swear he's the sweetest, most caring-"

"Hazel, I understand." Annabeth laughed a little, the sound hollow as it echoed down the stone hallway "I can see that Frank is a good person and it was wrong of us, however subconsciously, to judge him for whom he was friends with. But I want you to know, Hazel, that we've never thought of you as anything less than our friend. I mean, yes, I wasn't exactly thrilled with your relation with Frank, and a small part of it _was_ because of his background."

"Okay. And what's the big part?" Hazel inquired nervously "What's the actual reason you don't like him?"

"It's not that I don't like him. He's not the issue." Annabeth chewed her lips, wreaking her brain to lace some amount of subtlety into her unpolished words and then she decided to just get it over with quick, just peel off the bandage and face whatever shit that was bound to follow "It's you."

"Me?" Hazel looked startled, her eyes wide with shock "What about me? I don't quite follow."

"Not you specifically. It's more about your actions and how they can be hurting some people."

"Hurting…?" Hazel's eyes flashed in anger "And who exactly am I hurting Annabeth?"

"You know who! Don't pretend you don't see it." Annabeth's voice went up in amplitude, her grey eyes stormy "But I'll say it out, if you want me to. Leo! He's fucking miserable and it's because of you!"

Hazel's face went rigid in shock, her silent lips crying out Leo's name. Then she ran her hands through her hair, pulling a few brown strands out "Fuck, this is messed up. He _told_ you?"

"A bit." Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest "You kissed him and then broke his heart by going out with Frank. Why are you doing this, Haze? I thought you were friends."

"I'm doing this? He's the one who won't fucking talk to me!" Hazel exploded "I've been following him around like a puppy this year and he always conveniently has something to do at that very moment. Look, I don't know how much Leo told you, but it's not what you think. Neither of us are at fault or maybe we're both equally to blame. That night, the kiss was out of something emotional…we were talking and then it just…happened. I was shocked Annabeth, Leo was one of my best friends and I didn't want things to be awkward between us, and I though he did too, because he didn't acknowledge it either. So I let the days pass by, and I pretended everything was fine and that that kiss meant nothing. And when I saw Leo revert back to his normal goofy self I finally felt free, no longer suffocated by the unknown because it seemed as though Leo had no desire to talk of what happened between us and I was more than happy to follow his lead."

"And then I met Frank and unknown to me, it was the start of something new and the end of something old. My days with Frank were always happy, kind of high as though I was a balloon that he held securely in his hands. And my friendship with Leo fell apart, little by little, and it felt as though I was that balloon again, but this time there was no one anchoring me to the ground. I could tell he was miserable and I wanted to talk, to explain, or to make _him_ explain why he threw away a chance of _us_ last year if he truly cared so much, but he's too good at slipping away. And then I realized what he needed was space, and his friends, which I knew I no longer was, so I tried to spend little time with you guys so you could concentrate on him, get him to open up which I felt there was a higher chance of in my absence."

"Fuck…"Annabeth ran a hand through her blonde curls, her head slightly throbbing, and slowly joined Hazel by the window, where the sky was streaked with yellow and the setting sun "I had no idea."

Hazel gave a tight smile "I admit, it feels good to get this off my chest. Frank was very supportive but it just wasn't the same."

"You've told Zhang about this?"

"Yeah" Hazel said "He was willing to talk to Leo, to set things right, but I didn't want him to. Leo is my friend and I'll be the one to make sure he is alright."

Once again Annabeth felt her tongue roll up in her mouth, but she turned her eyes towards the skies and forced herself to speak "I'm sorry, Hazel. For being such a bitch, for jumping the gun before I even knew the whole story."

Hazel laughed, and it was the first one of the evening that sounded genuine "I'll live. As I said, it feels marvelous to finally talk to someone about this. And since we're here, do you have some dark secret that you want to get off your chest, Annabeth?"

Hazel's eyes were teasing and suddenly the green parchment in the blonde's trouser felt as though it was burning, searing into her flesh, urging her to spill the mixture of words building up behind her tightly pursed lips.

Instead Annabeth let out a laugh, and she was a little discoereded to find how easily she was able to lie these days "Well, I did once pee in a pool. But don't tell anyone!"

And all was calm. Mostly.

 **~0O0~**

"Honestly Jason, I don't think I can do this…it's too much-"Piper's voice trailed off as Annabeth took a seat on the sofa opposite them. The couple had been absent at dinner and though Annabeth had thought they were holed up in a closet somewhere, right now, she wasn't so sure, judging from the nervous tilt that flowed from Piper's voice and the way Jason's face was set, all hard edges and his hands clenched.

Annabeth paused her greeting, instead she looking cautiously between the two occupants of the couch. Piper gave her a small, strained smile while Jason continued his stony silence, his blue orbs frozen like ice "Is…is everything all right with you two?"

"Everything's fine!" Jason snapped, suddenly on his feet, while the blonde startled in shock at the unexpected fury rolling off of him. He turned, heading for the boy's dormitory, when he paused and slightly turned his head back to the females, one frozen in shock, the other fidgeting uncomfortably.

"I apologize… I just have a lot on my plate right now." He muttered, before striding off.

Annabeth watched wordlessly as his form disappeared up the stairs to the boy's dorm, her mind numb. She turned to Piper for an explanation, but the brunette girl had a faraway look in her eyes.

"Piper, what's going on?" Annabeth ventured, chewing her lips "Are you and Jason fighting?"

Piper gave her a small smile and Annabeth was aghast to see her eyes were getting misty "Fuck, are you _crying_? What did he do? I'm going to kick his-"

Annabeth leaped to her feet, her stormy eyes scanning the room and landing on the poker in the fireplace, with which she planned to run up the boy's dorm and whack Jason in the head with.

"Annabeth." Piper was suddenly gripping her arm, her voice warning "Sit down. If you injure Jason I'll have to kill you."

Annabeth grumbled but reluctantly sank back down into the soft cushions. Later then, she decided. When Piper wasn't around and she could blame it on someone else. Push him down the stairs. But wasn't that too cliché?

"I wasn't going to do anything" the blonde muttered sulkily as Piper continued to stare at her steely. "Maybe a hit. Or two."

"Annie, Jason didn't do anything." Pipers said, enunciating each word, her grip on the blonde's arm never slacking, and Annabeth absently wondered if she would develop a bruise there "It's just...things are a bit strained right now."

Annabeth watched her friend closely and debated for half a second before asking the question that they both knew was sure to follow "You guys aren't breaking up, are you?"

"No" Piper muttered, shaking her head, her eyes glued onto her fingers that she had laced together so firmly, that the bronzed skin looked stretched and oddly pale. She swallowed hard and spoke as though the words were being wrenched out of her with pliers "But I can't help feeling that I'm not being a very good girlfriend right now. Or maybe a friend. I feel like I'm letting him down or something."

"Piper, I'm sure that's not true! You're amazing! It's-" Annabeth paused helplessly, not sure how to proceed when she didn't even know what had her friend so upset in the first place. "Just what is all of this about, Pipes?"

Piper sighed loudly, her breath rattled and her expression one of extreme annoyance "I wish I could tell you, Annie. I want to, more than anything. But it's not mine to tell. And sometime it's better that some things remain unsaid, especially if they have the power to create unwanted chaos, change the way how a person is viewed."

Annabeth swallowed roughly, her mind at war as she willed herself to not to think of _him_ , and failing miserably "That's quite right."

"Yeah…"Piper bit her lip and it was apparent her attention was already diverted, but there was no one to call it back, as Annabeth was lost in her thoughts too, most of which weren't pleasant.

"I need to go." Piper declared a minute later, standing up and Annabeth was conscious of the fact that she wasn't invited, but it didn't bother her much, as she was busy musing about other matters, and her heart pounded as it tried to not accept the dangerous decision that her mind had settled upon at that very moment.

She could still feel the way his lips felt against hers, so soft yet one that had griped her senses like no other. The way his body had felt against her trembling one, lean and hard that had been able to produce a heat deep down within her that couldn't be doused. The way his strong, hard hands had filtered across her skin, light as a feather, lighting a trail of sensual fire across its wake. He had awoken something beastly within her, a carnage of pure hunger that she had never experienced before, that no one had been able to ignite within her. Why on earth should she then, after finding the most amazing drug on the planet, wander around avoiding it, all in the name of what was right, especially now that it looked like he wanted to continue it as well.

She _wanted_ him, and it scared her just _how much_.

 _Live a little, Annie._

 _You should be more adventurous._

 _Don't be prude, Chase_

 _If we truly desire something, however messed up it may seem to others, well- it's none of their business is it?"_

Annabeth startled as Hazel's voice broke through her thoughts. Then it hit her, was that what she was actually scared about, what people would think if she had something with Jackson, a boy who she openly hated for years? Was she going to give up that feeling of pure pleasure just so the students around her, who she didn't even like very much, wouldn't point at her and laugh? She had _one_ life, was she really going to let others dictate it and give up her desires just because they didn't seem right?

 _He might have something else in mind_ a part of her cautioned her _He might be trying to blackmail you. This all just a game to him._

Annabeth stopped, considering this possibility, then shrugged. If this was a game, then she could play too.

 _Whatever it takes, I'll have him._

Annabeth smirked when she considered Jackson's reaction when he realized the tables had turned and that he was no longer in control. How fast would it take for the predator to run when it realized that it was the one being hunted?

The blonde checked her watch and found she had five minutes to reach the corridor to meet him. A small part of her, the frightened, morally right part hoped for someone to stop her from what she was about to do, but the common room remained mockingly empty.

 _I just have a lot on my plate right now_

 _I want to tell you, Annie. But it's not mine too._ Right, not hers to tell. Right. Well then, it was only fair that _she_ had something to bury in the closet too.

 _It's not right_ the voice whispered desperately in her mind as Annabeth leapt to her feet and made her way towards the common room door.

 _But it's not wrong either._ Annabeth smirked before slipping into the shadows, feeling braver than she had ever felt before.

 **So it looks like things have taken a turn. Percy may get a surprise after all. And I'm really sorry, I knew you guys were looking forward to some Percabeth, but there was lot I had to put in this chapter that were integral. But next chap, I swear, you're going to get some Percy-Annie moments.**

 **Edit 18/07/18: Guys do check out friend my JKrypt 's server where you can chat with people and its mostly revolved around fanfics. Really cool!** discord .gg /y4SHTeG **and** discord .gg /Wvv5QB2.

 **And check out** "Percy Jackson and Andromeda's Lament" by Andro-with-an-O. **It is a really good story!**


	9. Chapter 9

**And here is chapter nine, guys. So sorry for the long wait; there was a rather huge flood in my state and we've been busy running around to camps and stuff. But anyway, thank you to all those who took time to review and follow/favorite this story. I apologize for any mistakes I may have made in this chapter; it was typed out in a rush.**

 **Half-Blood High**

 **Chapter-9**

 **~0O0~**

Annabeth fought off the cold chill as her eyes warily traced the outline of the dark corridor, the floor made of rough stone which seemed to be in a permanent state of dampness. She idly wondered why this part of the school was so isolated as she fidgeted nervously in the middle of the hallway. Her watch informed her that it had gone five minutes after nine and she chewed her lips as she once again turned around and regarded the corridor. Empty.

He wasn't coming.

Annabeth didn't know why, but a wave of utter dejection swept over her. She supposed she would be angry a bit later but right now she couldn't quite swallow the huge painful lump that had settled in her throat. She scoffed a minute later when she realized how absolutely stupid she had been, holding onto words spoken by Jackson of all people. As though he even knew the value of those.

She turned on her feet angrily, determined to forget the whole night, and spent the rest of it with her friends even if they didn't particularly want her there.

"Six minutes and forty two seconds." A voice echoed and Annabeth felt her heart leap into her throat as she stood rooted to the spot in the deserted hall way. Only now it wasn't so deserted as she watched in amazement as a tall shadow emerge from one of the alcoves, pitch black as not a sliver of light dared to pierce it. A moment later Jackson stood before her, leaning against the wall, his face filled with mocking amusement.

"Six minutes." He tittered, shaking his head disapprovingly "That's how much you gave stock to my promise."

"I'm pretty sure that's the same amount time you've ever spent in a relationship!" Annabeth snapped back fiercely, a part of her still rattled at his sudden appearance, so much so that she had not the faintest idea on what she was saying and why exactly she had dragged her miserable carcass down to the dungeons.

Jackson's lips quirked into a smirk and Annabeth felt her something sharp stab her heart as she once again realized just how _fucking attractive_ the man was. His midnight hair was tousled, a few strands falling into his eyes, creating just a hint of enchanting shadows under his eyes. His face was all hard lines, with silky tanned skin. And his eyes…she wished she could poke them off because it wasn't fair that _Jackson_ had such eyes, so full of life and brightness, something completely out of this world. He was still clad in his white button up school shirt, the first few buttons left open, whether deliberately she wasn't sure, and she licked her lips nervously when she remembered her new resolution. Mission seduce Jackson had just begun.

If only she knew how to proceed that would have him in her palm.

"Done checking me out, Chase?" Jackson smirked, unfolding his lean form from the wall "With the rate you're going I'd say it would just be more convenient to take a picture."

"Still full of yourself, Jackson?" Annabeth tittered, trying to imitate the same patronizing tone that he had used on her before, while trying to ignore the fact that her face felt uncomfortably warm. "It's a mystery why your head hasn't swelled up and floated off, isn't it?"

"It would have been" Jackson nodded thoughtfully "if my body didn't follow the basic principles of science. One doesn't simply lift off the ground, Chase, just because they happened to be filled with a particular emotion. Quite fortunate, if you ask yourself, else you would have sunk into the floor with all the misery you carry."

"Misery? You think I'm miserable?" Annabeth shrieked offended, and a bit impressed with his reply, but she very well couldn't admit to _that_ now, could she? "If I'm miserable, then you ought to be dead-"

"We can hang around, calling each other names all night, Chase." Jackson said, pushing his palms into his pockets and leaning against the wall casually "I, for one, have come here with the fullest intention of behaving my age, but if you continue to hold onto you're childish tendencies, this night won't be very productive and I admit I would be very disappointed, since I had very high expectations from this meeting."

Gods, what boy talked like that? More importantly, why the fuck did she find that so sexy?

"If you must know, I'm here because of this!" Annabeth huffed annoyed, pulling out the green parchment from her back pocket "What is the meaning of this?"

"I think you know exactly what it means, Chase" Jackson gave her a razor sharp grin "And the fact that you're here means you agree to it as well."

"I wish you would stop speaking in riddles, Jackson" Annabeth replied coolly "As you pointed out, I would like to act my age by going to bed at a respectable hour and not falling asleep in my classes, so if we could please get to the point of this completely pointless meeting?"

"You are _seventeen_ , Chase. You seem to have a habit of forgetting that sometimes." Jackson smiled fascinated "Tell me, is that really what you think a person of our age does?"

"Well it ought to be!"

"My, my…you must have been a nightmare as a child" he laughed softly, shaking his head "No _Dora the explorer or Thomas the train_ in your childhood I take it."

She was _not_ going to admit she watched the Discovery Channel from the age of five. No way in hell.

"Interesting observation" she smiled "And I find it cute that you used to watch Dora. But it hasn't seemed to help you a lot, since even after seventeen years you haven't managed to find your brain."

"I watched it in Spanish, that might have been it." Jackson said good naturedly.

"You get good grades in Spanish." Annabeth said suddenly, and then felt like hitting herself. What on earth did _that_ had to do with _anything_ going on?

"Yes." He looked a bit taken back "Yes, I suppose I do. But I assure you that wasn't the case ten years ago."

Jackson stared off into space, a thoughtful expression crossing his face and Annabeth fidgeted in her spot. It was almost ten and her friends would be wondering what she was doing and she was frustrated that she herself had no clue.

"Well, good conversation, Jackson." Annabeth said, breaking him out of his trance "I think I'll go up to bed…unless you want to explain the note?"

Jackson stared at her for a moment then issued a sigh, walking toward her slowly, agilely like a panther ."If you still wish to act juvenile, I'll spell it out for you. It's all rather simple really."

He had reached her now and she could feel his breath on her cheeks as he ducked his head down to her face. She could feel his warm body against her, and the way her own body ached to press itself closer. He nipped her ear, and started to leave a trial of open mouthed kisses from her ear, down her neck to her collarbone. Annabeth moaned and clutched his hair, hating herself but not able to stop, and bit her lip as he started to suck on her collar bone.

"I want you, Chase." He growled and Annabeth closed her eyes and fought the shiver that ran across her body at his words. "I want your body against mine, to have you cry out my name as I-"

"Shut up and kiss me, dammit!" Annabeth growled and in an instant his lips were on hers again, so warm, so demanding, so _him_ and she wasted no time in slipping her tongue into her mouth. They kissed for what seem like hours and then broke apart for breath.

Jackson leaned his head against hers "Fuck, Chase. You have no idea what you do to me."

She could hear every beat of his heart and once her lungs had gulped in enough oxygen to survive, she reconnected their lips after a muttered "I thought I told you to stop talking."

 **~0O0~**

"Where's Annabeth?" Leo asked suddenly, looking up from his English essay.

Piper bit her lip, carefully outlining the figure of a cockroach and neatly labeling it _Periplanata Americana._ "I don't know. I haven't seen her since…maybe she's in the library?"

"Yeah…." Leo murmured, wrinkling his brow, then spoke quietly "I'm not sure why but I just have a feeling that something's wrong."

"It is rather late." Jason muttered, his blond strands falling into his eyes "Maybe I should go check on her."

There was a pause in the conversation.

"Let's give her an hour more." Piper said at last, flipping over to a section of snails and studied the diagram of Pila globosa intently "I'm sure she's fine."

 **~0O0~**

"What are we doing, Jackson?" Annabeth asked, her breathing haggard after breaking apart from a kiss, while he tugged on her hair and started sucking on her exposed neck.

"Enjoying ourselves, Chase." His voice was hoarse as he briefly met her eye,s before slipping his hands under her shirt "Until you started asking pointless questions."

She couldn't fight back the moan that escaped her when he tweaked one of nipples.

"I'm-I'm serious, Jacks-stop it!"

Jackson, who had just ducked his head inside her shirt, withdrew it out, and met her gaze with an impatient look. "What is it, Chase? I recall it was _you_ who had forbade all means of conversation a while earlier. You didn't see me complaining."

"Right. Right. Just-"Annabeth tried to calm her breathing but it took a monumental effort, as his hands were still wrapped around her exposed stomach "What are we doing? What is… _this_?"

She pointed a finger between them and Jackson sighed resignedly and took a step back, his hands falling at his side. "You're irrational urge to label things is completely infuriating."

"I mean..."Annabeth murmured, already missing his touch "Are we going to do it again?"

"We can, we have plenty of time" Jackson grinned, consulting his watch dramatically.

"You know what I mean."

The grin vanished from his face and he stared at her coolly, and his eyes once again reminded her of frigid arctic waters "Only if you want to."

Annabeth avoided providing a verbal consent, somehow feeling she would lose something integral if she did and instead laid out a condition "No one can know."

Jackson rolled his eyes "Obviously, Chase. That's what makes sneaking around exciting."

" _Sneaking around_. Is that what we're doing?" Annabeth frowned.

"Yes." Jackson's voice was firm "I don't want to mix up any sort of emotions into this. This is purely for pleasure."

Annabeth nodded satisfied, her body aching to go closer to him "That works fine for me. Of course, I still hate you. This doesn't change anything."

"That goes for me as well" Jackson said "I'll still be an utter ass to you in class."

"Okay." Annabeth had barely heard any of his word, her gaze drawn towards his lips.

Jackson seemed to notice this and his eyes turned dark with lust as he pulled her closer to him and started to work on the buttons of her blouse, in the end ripping out a few. "Ooops. Any more questions, Chase?"

"No" she whispered hoarsely ,her eyes shut, as he deftly pulled her shirt off and placed his hands on her on her soft skin "None at all."

 **~0O0~**

"Two cubes of sugar, Frank?" Jason asked amiably, holding up a small silver pot at breakfast the next morning. Annabeth, having just taken her seat at the table and failed to notice the strange addition to its occupants, looked up to stare at the East Tower member in utter amazement.

"Yes, please." Zhang replied with an easy grin and went back to his conversation with Hazel, who met Annabeth's eyes sheepishly, threw a distracted glance in Leo's direction, then nervously proceeded to fill her boyfriend on her new companion, a steed named Arion , that she was planning on taking out for a ride after breakfast.

Leo had his head bend low over a bowl of oats and this caused Annabeth a great deal of uneasiness, as she knew he would in no way consume anything remotely healthy in his right mind. She gazed around the table, looking for some form of solidarity, and she met Piper's multi colored eyes latched on to hers. The brunette seemed to have twigged the cold silence that had erupted between Leo and Hazel in the past few days and in a desperate attempt tried to snatch everyone's attention into a common topic.

"Hey, Annabeth! What are you reading?" Piper asked in a suspiciously high voice, drawing the table's attention to the _Some Basic Principles of Chemistry_ that the blonde had forgotten was in her hands "Is that chemistry? Don't you have it with Leo?"

"Yeah." Annabeth said, trying to make herself sound interesting, and failing miserably, as Hazel and Frank hadn't even bothered to look up and Jason just had a vacant expression on his face, while he absently continued pouring milk into his cup of tea, which was now a pale brown "Its uh…organic. We've got a rather important test today and Professor Salt mentioned it would be taken into account in the end of the term report."

This unthought plan of theirs backfired almost immediately, when Leo straightened up wildly, toppled over his bowl, and swore loudly " _Shit_. That's _today_? Bloody fucking hell-"

He made a mad dash for the dormitory to get his text, ran into Dare who was walking over in their direction and was out the main door in a few minutes, though Annabeth had held up her own book in silent invitation. Hazel looked positively mortified and turned back to Zhang, her face completely red. The only people completely unaffected were Zhang, who kept smiling stupidly at Hazel, and Jason, who had finally run out of milk and had taken a large sip of tea, which he spat back out promptly, looking confused.

Piper shrugged guiltily and muttered "Well, at least he's out of the room. The last hour was just plain depressing."

Hazel's ears turned pink and the blonde concluded that there would be two less people joining them for mealtimes from then on. Annabeth checked her watch, polished off the last bit of toast remaining on her plate and was about to leave for Chemistry with the intention of a last minute revision, when a high, nasal voice spoke behind her.

"McLean" drawled Dare, her crimson hair put up in a messy bun and her white blouse ruffled, suggesting that she had probably been enjoying a snog somewhere in a broom cup board, and Annabeth felt a strange pang spread across her chest and had to bite down hard on her cheeks to refrain from asking who she had been sinning with. Or, most importantly, if it had been a certain green eyed man who had been driving her up against a wall lately. Literally. Annabeth felt another pang somewhere in her, a different place, a much more pleasurable feeling that had been induced when she thought of _his_ hands ghosting over her-

"-and the selection is tomorrow, directly after lunch." Dare was still speaking , her perfect face set into a bored scowl " Though I don't know what exactly you're trying to achieve, Mclean, by _trying_ to join the cheerleading team, and if it weren't for that bloody Beugard you wouldn't even be invited for try outs-"

"I hardly need a letter of invitation from you, Dare. It seems as though you haven't quite grasped the fact that the cheerleading squad is a public club, open to all the students of the school." Piper interrupted sweetly "And the fact that it is to be conducted in a democratic manner, with a leader voted by the members. I'm afraid, with Selena leaving this year, _some_ people might try to degrade the club functioning. It is my intention of course, as you very well already know, to ensure that little misfortune does not occur. Scones Jason?"

Jason who had followed the conversation bewilderly, blinked for a few minutes as his face tried to settle upon an appropriate emotion, _any_ emotion, and having failed, mutely accepted the baked good from Piper. Rachel was now seething openly and Annabeth clutched her text tightly, prepared to use it if things got out of hand, which looked like it might, judging from the utter calm expression on Piper's face that generally meant nothing less than two broken nails were about to follow.

"Feel free to preach your stupidity, McLean. As though anyone's ever going to give two shits about what you have to say." Dare snapped "And that too on cheerleading, of all things! I mean, have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror? I'm surprised you're mother didn't go mental when she saw you!"

Jason and Annabeth leapt up furiously, but Piper shook her head at them, and after a moment, both the blonds sat back down reluctantly though Jason's hands were still shaking and Annabeth wanted nothing more than to scratch out Dare's eyes and punch her in the face and see if _she_ didn't go mental when her nose was on the wrong direction. That _cow_ , had that remark been just co incidental, or did she _know_? Did she somehow find out and was now trying to fucking break Piper down-

Annabeth felt the urge to rise to her feet again and tackle the little bitch and her gaze locked onto Jason's, who seemed to be along the same line of thought, but he shook his head as well and instead settled for glaring at Dare, and Annabeth followed his example, though extremely reluctantly.

"Fortunately, _Rachel_ , your opinion on my appearance doesn't really affect my decision. And I shall see you tomorrow after lunch. Till then you shall kindly refrain from crossing my path. I shall not be held responsible for my actions if you open that thing you a call a mouth again." Piper quipped, neatly setting picking up her cup, her fingers clenched around the delicate handle.

"Please _Piper,_ I'm not fucking afraid of you!" Dare scoffed, leaning on her hips "As though one person like you can change the way how I run things."

"Oh, I won't be alone. Annabeth shall be accompanying me for try outs." Piper took a small sip of tea,( the blonde reeled in shock), then smiled widely "We plan-Oh, you've gone all pale, Rachel. Do you not think Annabeth can make it to the team? Is she not pretty enough, as you have put it?"

Annabeth squirmed uncomfortably, well prepared to hear the _No. She looks like a dung beetle!_ that was sure to ensue from the red head, but Rachel stared at her for a few minutes, opened and closed her mouth a few times, then angrily flounced away from them.

"That was….interesting." Jason broke the silence. He stared at the scone in his hand as though not really sure what to do with it, then took a hesitant bite. He seemed to like it, and took it with him as he left for double biology, still shaking his head.

Annabeth leapt to her feet as well, shocked to see there was only five minutes for the bell. She turned to Piper who was shouldering her satchel, who calmly informed her "I have a free hour. I'll walk you to chemistry."

"What was all that about?" Annabeth inquired annoyed, not in the least bit interested in joining a club, that was in her opinion, a waste of time "And why on earth do you suddenly want to join cheerleading, Pipes? They're a fucking joke."

Piper was silent for a beat, gazing resolutely on her swinging satchel, then spoke very softly "My mother joined cheerleading in her fourth year. I thought…"

Annabeth stopped short then hastily continued walking, to appear normal "I'm sorry, Piper…all that stuff she said about your mom…I'm sorry I didn't….I hadn't known about the cheer leading …they aren't really rubbish, you know…just wrongly lead…"

"Exactly" Piper said, a hint of a smile in her face "They just follow Dare and do stupid shit. I want to…rebuild _her_ legacy, you know. She had been a leader in her time."

Annabeth nodded, then sighed resignedly, having made up her mind "I _was_ planning on nagging you and refusing to join but now…well I'm in. Just hope I don't fall flat on my face tomorrow."

"You won't." Piper said confidently, and Annabeth tried to absorb some of it, for her heart had started to do high jumps just thinking about the try outs in front of all those people. In front of _him_. Fuck. What had she gotten herself into?

"Piper, I-"

"What are you still doing here?" a voice demanded and the girls turned around to see Leo standing beside them, out of breath, his text opened to a page of revision questions "I thought the test started at nine?"

Annabeth looked around at the empty hallway then swore loudly "Shit, we're late! See you at lunch, Piper."

The topic of cheerleading left her mind then but she was sure it would surface that night and prevent her from getting any sleep. Among other things, of course.


	10. Chapter 10

***ducks as shoe is thrown* Whew, that was close!**

 **I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, soooooooooo sorry. I don't want to go into any of my lame excuses (cough writers block cough).**

 **I just want to give everyone who has supported this story a huge thanks because you guys are THE BEST (and has endless patience;) )**

 **I have tried out a small percabeth make out moment in this one (key word:** _ **tried**_ **). It's embarrassing but I get all bothered and flustry when I try to put my** _ **those**_ **thoughts into words.**

 **I am planning on writing more such moments, in the libraries and what not, so I would love it if you guys would give your opinions on that!**

 **Chapter 10**

 **Half-Blood High**

 **~0O0~**

Annabeth hurried across the corridor, trying to maneuver around the bustle that was absolutely horrendous during lunch time. The only thing her frayed nerves had allowed her to chock down in the cafeteria, an apple, twisted in anticipation in her stomach. Piper had left for the try outs directly after sixth period, for she had to lend a hand in organizing with Silena, and this meant that Annabeth had spent lunch biting her nails and listening only half heartedly as Leo prattled on about some girl who had given him the finger.

The blonde turned into an empty corridor that was a shortcut to the gym and had barely taken a few steps, before the door of a broom closet creaked open ominously and a hand gripped her elbow and dragged her into the blinding darkness within.

"The fuck?" Annabeth cursed as she groped around in the dark, her body pressed uncomfortably against someone else's, and gathering her wits, she struck her elbow behind her, hoping to catch the assailant's gut, but the block was stopped by a strong grip.

"Calm down, Chase." Jackson hissed, his warm breath fanning her cheeks. A different sort of un- comfortableness took hold of her body and she turned, squinting into the darkness.

"What the hell, Jackson? Is there a light switch in here?"

He didn't bother to reply and after a moment of fumbling, produced a dim streak of light from his phone.

"Students aren't allowed to keep their phones with them" Annabeth quipped sharply, narrowing her eyes to get rid of the black spots that had appeared in her vision due to the sudden brightness. The room they were standing in was small, and apart from a couple of brooms and old battered text books, was mercifully clean. "It ought to be in the office! They do compulsory checking."

"I'm aware" Jackson drawled "And I _did_ hand in a phone. Only I didn't specify how many I had."

"How many _do_ you have?" Annabeth asked, clearly disapprovingly, trying to maintain her balance in the small place.

"Three, but I don't think it's of particular importance right now." He growled, and his lips were on hers again, her hair teased out of its bun by his demanding fingers. She let out a groan and arched into him, her hands going on a chock hold across his neck. She could feel the delicious warmth his boy radiated through the thin fabric of the shirt, but it wasn't enough, not even nearly.

"Take off your shirt!" she panted, as he pulled a strand of her hair back and exposed her bare neck. He started sucking on the sensitive skin of her collar bone while she let her hands roam around his shirt and started pulling the buttons off. He let out a groan as she touched the warm bare skin of his chest, all hard and smooth and lean.

"God dammit , Jackson!" she moaned when he's managed to pull her blouse over her head and roughly palmed one of her breast , his other hand rubbing torturous circles over the thin material of her green silk bra. Her breath hitched when she met his eyes, swirling dark green with lust, as he yanked down her bra and took one of her nipples in his mouth and started sucking it, sending waves of pleasure through her body.

She had to hold onto his neck for support, as he continued his onslaught on her nipples, his hot tongue biting, sucking and licking as though to soothe any pain away. Her nails scratched the skin on his muscled back and he growled darkly, pulling her closer, their body's flushed together, soft and hard, and she felt his fingers at the skin near the waistband of her skirt. Her core burned and thighs clenched and he seemed to notice, as he let his hands trail slowly, _torturously slowly_ , over the flushed skin of her inner thighs and-

They were startled apart by the sound that ensued from the phone, that had been knocked down onto a pile of textbooks.

"Shit, what's the time?" Annabeth shrieked, the soothing oblivion of Jackson's touches fading away into thin air and all the previous anticipation she had locked up emerging onto the surface.

"It's gone one" he informed her, bending down to pick up his phone "Where are you off to in such a hurry anyway? If you say the library, I'm going to be insulted."

"It's none of your business" Annabeth replied shortly, trying to fix her blouse and massaging the skin of her neck that felt extremely sensitive, and she was positive was covered in hickeys "But if you must know, I'm heading to the gym for the try outs."

"Oh yeah" Jackson said absently, slipping his white shirt back on, and it took a few minutes for Annabeth to wrench her eyes from his lean, muscled form "The McLean girl is trying out, isn't she?"

Annabeth, a bit miffed, replied coldly "Yes, but I'm going to be trying out too."

Jackson stared at her in shock, his hands frozen on the third button of his shirt " _You're_ trying out for cheerleading?"

More than a bit insulted, she grabbed her satchel and pursed her lips "Why the tone of surprise? Do I somehow look like the type of person who can't do a few splits?"

Jackson regained his composure quickly and quipped defensively "Well, it isn't exactly your picture is it? If I had to guess, I'd say you were somehow cornered into it. And my money is on McLean."

Annabeth chose to not answer and instead asked "Will you be coming to watch?-Dares on the team, isn't she?"

He shrugged, his eyes studying her thoughtfully "I've got detention with Professor Salt."

"What did you do now?" Annabeth asked curiously, as she bunched her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck.

He gave her a crooked smirk, that had her heart race frantically again and the unquenched burning in her lower abdomen rear its head .He had finally having buttoned up his shirt, much to her disappointment "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, grabbed her satchel and made for the door. The corridor outside was still completely deserted and she took a moment to assess herself in the open space, for any tell tale sign of depravity, before turning off in the direction of the gym.

"Hey, Chase?"

Annabeth turned and raised an eyebrow.

Jackson had a crooked smile on his face, his hands shoved deep into his pant pockets, his white shirt deliciously tight, and winked at her "Greens a very good color on you."

She huffed and turned red, gave him the finger to which he callously laughed, and made her way to the gym, tugging her collar closer.

~0O0~

Annabeth skidded to a halt outside the vast gym doors, controlled her accelerated breathing and gave herself a quick pat down to erase all evidences of her tryst with the green eyed devil. She was already late, so the best option to follow now would be to play it cool and pretend as though this had been her intention all along, instead of fumbling for an excuse and looking not only irresponsible, but also lame.

She pushed open the doors and walked in, doing her best to add a bit of sway to her hips. A few people were sitting on the bleachers and in the middle of the polished floor were figures clad in the blue cheerleading outfits and some in the standard school uniform.

"Look who finally decided to show up" Dare sneered, still clad in her school uniform, which Annabeth found a bit discontenting; Dare did, after all possess a cheerleading dress and wouldn't have passed up the opportunity to flaunt it in front of the new girls, like how her friends were currently doing. "What was it, Chase? Finishing up an essay for next year?"

Annabeth tried to summon her most charming smile "Actually Dare, I was just making out with a really hot guy in a broom cupboard on the third floor."

"Yeah right!" The snort that ensued from Dare _was_ rather insulting, though Annabeth knew it was well deserved "As though anyone in their right mind would touch out with you. You'd probably bore them to tears with some speech on the Great Gatsby or the impo-Silena! _Silena_! Look who finally decided to show up! Late on the first day of practice, isn't that irresponsible? Perhaps we ought to show Chase the way we deal out punishments for late comers around here, don't you think?"

Dare smiled brightly as Silena Baeugard strolled towards them, a clipboard in her hands "I wouldn't talk much if I were you Rachel. I saw you dashing in not five minutes earlier and if we're going to hand out punishments, you'd have to share them too."

Dare's face twisted into a vicious scowl and she flounced back to her friends, her hips swaying wildly. Annabeth didn't let the grin that was threatening to break out on her face show and instead turned to face Silena solemnly.

"Since it's your first day here Annabeth, I'll let you off with a warning." Silena gave her a tiny smile "But Rachel did have a point; we do take rules seriously around here. Now why don't you go over to the locker room? Piper is there and I expect she's…rather anxious to see you."

Anxious was an understatement, Annabeth thought amusedly, as she was nearly knocked off her feet by a blur of blue and brown the moment she stepped into the locker room.

" _Where on_ _earth_ _were you_?" Piper screeched the moment she'd pushed away from the blonde "I thought you'd caught cold feet and made a run for it."

Annabeth frowned a bit, offended "I thought I gave you my word, Piper."

Piper waved an impatient hand, pulling the door of her locker open "Yeah, yeah. You and your word, Annie. Honestly, I don't know which era you live in, but words aren't exactly regarded that seriously these days. They're bound to be easily broken."

Annabeth dropped her satchel on the tiled floor, messaging her shoulders. Perhaps she ought to leave a few books behind in the common room. After all, a hunched back wasn't exactly that attractive.

"Here, put these on, quick" Piper shoved a blue shirt and skirt into her hands "They're mine and _should_ fit you. I figured it would be easier to do the routine in these than the uniform."

Annabeth consented and made a move to unbutton her blouse, before freezing. The bruises and hickeys that were splattered across her skin would be a dead give away to her meetings with Jackson and the person who would most likely join the dots and arrive at an almost real picture was standing right before her, tying her shoes. Annabeth twisted the hem of her shirt, contemplating her options but was saved from revealing anything disastrous when Piper was called off by one of the team mates.

The blonde quickly shrugged off her shirt and donned the cheerleading outfit, all the while keeping an eye on the door. She gave her a glance in the mirror. Something about her plain face and the girls standing outside made her palms sweaty. She knew she didn't belong here and so did most of the others. But now that she _was_ here, she was going to make sure she owned the part.

Annabeth slipped on some lip gloss and ran a hand through her messy curls. Damn Jackson and his stupid fingers, though of course she hadn't been complaining at that time. At that time, in fact, she had found she couldn't get enough of his hands.

Annabeth growled, trying to push that green eyed maggot into the back of her mind, so she could focus on what the fuck she was doing and not make a fool of herself out on the floor.

 **~0O0** ~

"-and give my regards to your father, Mr. Grace" the professor gave him a superior look and Jason found the answering smile flashing across his face as an almost automatic response, though inside, his intestine had withered into malicious snakes at the very mention of his father.

Jason slipped out of the classroom before anyone could catch for him a quick chat, which mainly consisted of giving them a chance for trying out for the football team or if he was interested in any pleasurable activity in some empty corridor.

He let his legs carry him through the familiar turns of the castle as his mind started to wander yet again. He was barely sleeping these days, his appetite had turned nonexistent and he'd lost control of his temper.

He cringed when he remembered the way he'd snapped at Annabeth and Piper last day at the common room or the way he'd got short while tutoring Leo in math and the way he'd fucking _insulted_ him. Leo eyes, which already carried a bit of hurt these days, had widened in shock, but the curly haired boy had tried to play it off cool, jumping back to his usual sassy self, though he had never approached Jason with doubts again.

And worst of all, Piper. Sweet, beautiful , caring Piper who was always at his side, urging him to eat something, willing to hear out his problems, constantly at the receiving end of his cruel words, yet never once showing any signs of leaving him.

Her eyes haunted him, but how could he possibly tell her, or any of his other friends for that matter, the grenade that his father had dropped on him, when he himself could barely come into terms with it?

His father. Zeus Grace. Multi millionaire and owner of Olympian airlines.

The dysfunctional asshole who'd screwed up his life, who was more like an uncle that visited once in Christmas than an actual father. His brothers were the same way, Jason knew, and this was why he had never been able to fully blame Jackson for the utter wanker he had turned out to be. If it weren't for Piper, he might have went down that same, sodden path.

He'd come to accept it though; to expect nothing but a cheque on his birthday and phone calls once a year and an empty house in the summer.

Then that bastard had given him a call during a school day, casually informed him that his mother was alive and was living in New York, that he had an older sister, that she had been murdered during a gang war and that the funeral was going on at the moment, so perhaps he should say a few words in prayer. She had been, after all, his sister.

His sister. He'd had a sister, someone he could have played with as a child, someone he could have called up in the evenings, someone he could have went home to in the summer. All his life he'd felt alone, but now, the fact that there had always been someone so close to him, who he could have loved and who would have loved him, made it a hundred times worse.

They would have tried to make cookies together and then mess up the kitchen, he would have run out to the store to get her tampons and ice creams, she would have taught him how to drive, he would have threatened her boyfriends, she would have made fun of the way he'd been a total nervous wreck before he first kissed a girl.

He'd never got the chance to meet her. What had she been like? Had she been a spoiled a rich heiress with expensive labeled handbags? Or a shy nerd who'd wore oversized hoodies and thick black glasses?

Did they even look alike?

He had tried to tell Piper several times but every time he thought of her, a painful lump settled in his throat and the words refused to leave the back of his mouth.

His father hadn't revealed any more information on the matter and had hung up before Jason could ask anything. He'd tried calling him up, but as he already knew, the line was always busy.

He could have tried other means of contacting that evasive bastard, but he had been scared. Scared if he could really bare to know more about that amazing person, who had had the same blood as him flowing through her veins. Scared if he could have maintained his temper.

It didn't matter anyway; Zeus Grace had disappeared from the radar.

When his mind suddenly registered his surroundings, he realized he had reached the door of the common room. Inside he could see his friends sprawled over the sofas, Annabeth and Piper, sweaty and excited in cheerleading outfits and Leo cracking his lame jokes and laughing brightly.

He should apologize and explain everything. He should stop carrying this secret around that was slowly eating him up from the inside. He should tell them about her, whose unknown face was slowly tearing his heart into pieces and setting them on fire.

 _Had she been blonde too? Did she have blue eyes?_

He turned on his heels softly and made his way to the library, his throat tight.

 **~0O0~**

 **And ta-da!**

 **Poor Jason.**

 **Anyway REVIEW and Follow/ favorite!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Lots of Percabeth smut in this chapter. BEWARE!**

 **IMPORTANT A/N at the end! Please do read and support!**

 **~0O0~**

Annabeth grabbed the last physics guide from the advanced section and made her way to table that she always preferred, which was situated in a rather secluded spot at the library. She opened the guide and had just started to flip to the right page when she became aware of someone's presence behind her.

"Tell me, Chase" Jackson asked amused, strolling over and leaning against the table "Do you have any dirty school girl fantasy centered around in the library? If you do, I'd be happy to oblige."

"Do you honestly not have any other hobby than to stalk me Jackson?" Annabeth replied, refusing to rise to his bait and determined to utilize her morning free hour to the fullest. She picked up a pen and started going through the worksheets they'd been handed last week, which was due next month.

"How about if I take you against one of those bookshelves?" he continued, ignoring her jibe at his social life, and jumping up onto the table "Or would prefer this table right here?"

"I would _prefer_ it if you would leave me alone in peace, Jackson" she growled annoyed, marking the first answer "Honestly, did you _follow_ me back here?"

Jackson sneered, giving her a glare "I didn't have a choice, did I? Seeing as you're hogging the last guide all to yourself. Hand it over, Chase, so we can both go our merry ways."

"Not bloody likely, Jackson" she growled, quickly yanking the book away from his hands " _I_ found it first and you shall have it after _I'm_ done with it."

He remained silent for a few moments, during which she didn't even bother to look up at him and instead continued her reading. Suddenly he hopped down and sat down on the chair adjacent to hers. She shot him a suspicious look, which turned into one of horror as he grabbed her chair and pulled it towards him, so that her thighs were squeezed together and trapped between his legs.

"How about a small break, Chase?" he smirked, trailing his hands over her thighs, his gaze fluttering once towards the table, where the guide laid open. Annabeth scoffed when she realized his plan to seduce her and get away with the book.

He leaned over to her and in spite of herself, her breath hitched for a moment as he started to rain a trail of kisses down her neck, one of his hands working to unbutton her shirt while the other squeezed her breast through it.

Annabeth steeled herself against the onslaught, and thinking quickly, decided give him back a dose of his own medicine. She pushed him aside and he looked shocked and a bit amused for a moment, before looking confused as he spotted the surly grin that she gave him. She leaned forward and her shirt, which he had opened up to the third button, showed her ample cleavage. His sea green eyes strayed towards the top of her breasts clad in lacy pink, before settling on her lips mere inches from his own. She studied his face leisurely, noting every curve and ridges, before leaning over to whisper in his ear "Actually, I rather _do_ have a fantasy I'd love to try out. All you have to do is sit here for me, love."

Weather it was due to term of endearment or simply due to her closeness, she saw him shiver and bite the corner of lip unconsciously. He refused to touch her though, apparently conflicted about the sudden change of events, but still eager to see her proceed. She smirked at that thought and watched as his eyes grew cloudier with lust.

She started slow, trailing her lips above his, not quite touching but enough to drive him mad as he continued to rein himself in and produce no reaction. Her hands roamed over the silky expanse of his white shirt, and taking care to look into his eyes, she ripped it open, scattering buttons onto the floor. His jaw clenched and he had to grip his hands onto the chair to avoid grabbing her, for he would win this little game even if it _killed_ him. Annabeth ran her palm over his lean, muscled form, pausing at each abb. She leaned closer in her own chair so that she could kiss his hard muscles. She let her tongue trail down in a line from the hard planes of his stomach to the smattering of curly dark hair that peeked out from the waistband of his pants.

He shuddered but still refused to so much as glance at her, but she was hardly done, and in this case he would have no other option but to accept defeat. She licked his nipples and give it a small nibble and he let out a small tortured moan.

She leaned back in her chair, analyzing her handiwork and smirking in triumph when she saw the obvious bulge straining in his pants. He looked at her, stunned and relieved that she had stopped so fast, when he caught the devilish smirk on her face.

She hitched her skirt up a bit and pushed away from her chair and neatly settled down on his lap, her legs hanging out on either side. The position allowed her to push her wet panties right over his erection and the sudden arrival of heat caused him to roll his head back and moan. She grinned and experimentally rocked her hips a bit, her core moving against him deliciously, when suddenly he grabbed her hips and stopped her from moving.

"You little minx" Jackson growled, his voice a bit hoarse, his sea green eyes swimming in fury. He pulled her towards him roughly, her breasts pressed against his warm chest, his hands going under her skirt and stroking her through her panties. "I swear to god, once I'm done with you now, you won't be able to walk straight for _days_."

Annabeth gulped a little at the threat and was just about to get back on her feet, when suddenly Piper's voice rang out nearby.

"Annie!"

"You know she doesn't like that name, Piper" she heard Jason's voice whisper anxiously "She won't answer to that."

"The only way Annabeth would leave her books behind and answer us, is if she's angry enough." Piper confided, sounding pleased. "So be quiet, Superman. Annie, where are you?"

Jackson growled, her arse still pressing down onto his enlarged member "Why can't your friends just bloody leave you alone for a moment?"

"Because they're my friends" she hissed, unconsciously twisting herself in the direction of the voices, which made him growl in pleasure. "Now get down under the table!"

Weather it was because he truly believed there was no other option or if it was due to the elbow that she dug into his abdomen, Jackson reluctantly slipped under the table, his sea green eyes promising vengeance. She quickly kicked his torn shirt after him just as Piper appeared from around the corner, Jason in tow.

"There you are, Annabeth!" Piper exclaimed happily, trotting over to grab a chair opposite to her. Annabeth sighed in relief, as the table was covered on all three sides except her own( she figured because it had been someone's study desk or some sort before it had been pushed to the back of the library), so the only possible way her friends would see Jackson would be if they came over to her side. She quickly placed her satchel on the empty chair beside her and gave her friends a bright smile.

"Hey, guys" she replied, hunching over her books, trying to give off the impression that she was studying, while studiously ignoring the boy shuffling around under the table. She gave him a kick to silence him "What are you doing here? Don't you have first hour with Mr. Salt?"

"He cancelled. It's just a bit of acidity, but I'd wager you'll get third period off too." Piper smiled brightly "Now the-whoa whoa! Isn't that a little too much cleavage for thermodynamics?"

Annabeth cursed mentally, not bothering to look down at her open shirt, and schooled her expression to one of casualness and a bit annoyance "There aren't any windows back here, Piper, and it's bloody hot. Besides, I didn't expect anyone would in on me here."

Piper shrugged, already dismissing the matter from her mind "Fine, fine. Anyway the reason I trudged down here is to ask if you'd be coming to the village this evening."

"Today?" Annabeth frowned "I thought the visit would be next week."

"Yeah, yeah" Piper waved her hand "Apparently some of the senior girls requested Chiron to grant them an extra one so they could find a dress for the ball. To be honest, I don't think he stood around asking a lot of questions on the matter, either. Now are you coming or will I have to drag you there and in the process humiliate the both of us?"

"I thought you already had a dress?" Annabeth asked, remembering the package Piper had received last week in mail.

"We're going shopping for _you_ , Annie" Piper said, a bit sternly "Knowing you, you'd put it off until the morning of the day and then come down in some borrowed garbage. That is _not_ happening this time and I need to finalize the dress before I can move onto accessories and hair. And shoes. Shoes! Bloody hell, Annabeth, don't you see how much we have left to do?"

Annabeth was about to reply when suddenly her legs, which were crossed up until that point, was suddenly pried open. Her friends couldn't see this particular action and the blonde aimed another kick unto the boy under her. His strong grip on her knees prevented her from closing her legs together and the bastard started to lay open mouthed kisses up along her left inner thigh, then one on the center of her panties, before continuing onto her right thigh. Annabeth bit her lips to stop a moan and tried in vain to clench her thighs together, but was stopped by the pair of strong hands.

"Annie, are you all right?" Annabeth took a deep breath before meeting the concerned gazes of Piper and Jason.

"You look flushed, Annabeth" Jason said anxiously, stepping closer to her "Shall I take you to the infirmary?"

"It's fine. I'm fine" she gritted out, struggling to keep herself from releasing any inappropriate noises as Jackson traced a palm over her lower abdomen, dangerously close to the waist band of her panties. "Just-just cramps."

Jason Grace, rather intelligent, correctly assumed this to be related to one of the many bloody nightmares that guys had a.k.a menstruation and took a step back wisely, which was what Annabeth has wanted. Jackson played with the waistband of her panties for a moment, before slipping his palm in and grabbing her pussy firmly and squeezing it a little. Annabeth squirmed desperately and she though she heard a light chuckle from under the table.

"I'm fi-aghh!" Annabeth couldn't keep the moan in as Jackson pushed a finger into her, tracing her folds teasingly.

"Annabeth?" Piper scrambled up in alarm, leaning over to the blonde "Are they that bad, hon? Do you want some pain killers? I've got some up in the dorm, I'll go get them right now!"

Oh right. Cramps.

"It's all right, Pipes" Annabeth managed a smile, ignoring the pressure she felt under there as he continued gently squeezing her over and over again. She had to act fast before the idiot used tongue. "I've all ready had some and I expect they'll take some time to be effective. Why don't you and Jason head off to the common room? I think I'll rest here a while, perhaps sleep it off."

"Are you sure?" Piper asked, her kaleidoscopic eyes boring holes into the blonde's face "You could lay down on one of the sofas in the common room. I promise I'll rub your feet and we've got some milk chocolate up there."

"I'll carry you, if you want." Jason offered bravely.

"Nah, thanks guys" Annabeth shook her head, pointing at her notes "I still have to finish this and I'll probably just rest for short intervals, you know when it pains, before working again."

It took a bit more convincing but her friends finally left her, with promises of coming to check on her later. Once they were out of site, Annabeth leapt up onto her feet and gave a basilisk glare as Jackson crawled out from under the desk, still shirtless, but very much satisfied.

"You jerk! How-"

Her loud voice attracted the librarian and Jackson quickly pulled out a fresh white shirt from his satchel and pulled it on, just as Mr. Forbes turned around the corner and kicked them both out for unruly behavior.

 **~0O0~**

"Three down. Nine more to go" the person chuckled softly, staring at the array of photos in front of him.

 **~0O0~**

"I can't believe she's working during her period!" Piper exclaimed "I can barely crawl out of bed during those times"

"Nothing comes between Annabeth and her studies" Jason agreed, very much impressed by his friend's dedication.

 **~0O0~**

"That was _not_ how I had imagined my library fantasy would go" Annabeth huffed angrily, albeit a still embarrassed when she thought of her friends, all innocent and caring, just standing there while she-"You're bloody shameless, unthinking and – just fuck you, Jackson!"

"If you insist, babe" he shrugged, ceasing his walking and turning around and reaching out to grab her "I thought I had satisfied your cravings earlier but someone seems to be feeling extra horny today."

Annabeth growled and launched herself at him, pounding her fists against his hard chest, while he laughed like the utter demon he was. She could plainly see just how much effect her efforts produced on the well built swordsman and was seriously entertaining the idea of going for the wanker's balls, when Jackson suddenly pushed her up against the wall, her hands trapped above her head by his left hand.

"Do you have _any_ idea just how _bloody hot_ you look when you're angry, Chase?" he growled, nuzzling his nose against her neck, his right hand trailing up her shirt and pulling down the cup of her bra and squeezing her right breast, while she struggled half heartedly to escape. He pulled his hand out, and just as she began to let out a sigh of relief, he deftly unbuttoned her shirt, so that her breast spilled out into the open, where he started to play with it hungrily, squeezing and palming them in his rough hands.

When this elicited no response from the still furious woman, he deftly tweaked the sensitive nipple and was rewarded with a soft groan. He met her furious grey eyes with a triumphant smirk and then let his hand slip under the waistband of her skirt, pressing his calloused palm against her core through the soft, soaked fabric of her panties.

"I'm still angry at you, you bastard! You basical- _don't!_ I swear to god Jackson, if-"her oath was cut off by a moan, as the blithering idiot hooked a finger through the fabric of her panties, pulled it to one side and ran a lazy finger over her wet folds. She could feel her thoughts scramble and she arched her back into him when he began playing with her clit.

Satisfied that she would no longer try to beat him into a pulp, he released her hands and she let them fall limply at her sides, still refusing to completely participate. He grinned wolfishly at her stubborn gaze before grabbing her hips firmly and kneeling before her, tugging her skirt up and positioning his head between her thighs. She couldn't help but spread her legs apart as he yanked down her panties and let them bunch around her knees. He felt her fingers clench tightly in his hair, and gave himself a smug smile, before he lurched forward and took her pussy in his mouth. He let his tongue move over her folds in practiced strokes, his hold on her hips keeping her in place. He sucked gently on her clit, enjoying the way she trembled against him and the way she had to stop herself from yelling his name out in the hallway.

Annabeth couldn't feel her legs anymore as they trembled, as Jackson started to nibble over her folds and send waves of pleasure right into her core. It didn't take long for her to fall over the edge and come in a strangled yell. She lowered her head, trying to control her panting, as he licked her once last time before getting to his feet. Both of them stood still for a moment, it was quite a big achievement on _her_ part, waiting to make sure that no one had heard her as she had orgasmed.

When not a single soul appeared, Jackson slung his satchel back over his shoulder, not a hair out of place on his attire, while she stood there, legs apart, skirt pulled up above her hips, underwear bunched up around her legs, sweating and panting, with one of her breasts hanging out in the open.

Jackson slowly took her appearance in, his eyes darkening and lingering over her bare womanhood and the nipple that had pebbled up in the cold of the hallway. To his credit and her chagrin, he simply gave her a smirk "You'd better not roam around the hallway looking like that, Chase. Not everyone's going to be a gentleman like me."

Her angry response was cut short as he laughed amusedly and strolled down the corridor to his next class, leaving her furious, as well as impossibly turned on for more.

 **~0O0~**

 **A/N IMPORTANT**

 **Edit/ 02/07/18 : I was going through this chapter once again and noticed a whole lot of tiny mistakes,both grammatical and spelling wise. It's just that, when you write the matter initially, you tend to glaze over such mistakes and it's only when you read it later on, do they become embarrassingly obvious. So I've fixed the ones I've found and if there are more, I would like to apologize beforehand.**

 **On another note, I was toying with the idea of maybe creating a page on Pinterest for Half-Blood High(or Luna Sanguinis?). Where all you artists and creative peeps at!?**

 **We could display any artwork or covers anyone has made for this pic (HINT HINT ;) ) . If anyone would like to make something for this fic (I honestly don't know if its long or good enough) such as artworks, paintings, haiku ;) , poems or anything of the sort, IT WOULD MEAN SO MUCH!33 .**

 **Please do PM me in that case! I already have received a beautiful cover from . If we have enough pieces we can create the page!**


	12. Chapter 12 ACTUAL CHAPTER

**Half-Blood High**

 **Chapter 12**

 **So, I'm replacing the author's note with this chapter.**

 **~0O0~**

Annabeth drew her jacket closer to her shivering body, her boots squishing through the muddy ground as she stumbled along the trail, clutching the plant in her hand safely toward her chest. Next to her Leo had abandoned his own plant so he could hold his text book over his head to avoid the drizzle that had crept upon them right after they had wandered a good mile or so from the nearest green house.

"I hate this bloody weather." Leo cursed, as he almost slipped upon a patch of wet rock "Its times like these that I really miss Houston-giant mosquitoes or not."

"Yeah, and you've really made all this suffering worth it, by throwing away that plant." Annabeth rolled her eyes, slowing down when she spotted the clearing where Professor Merryweather stood with most of their classmates a few meters ahead. "Because, you know, that was the literaly the reason why we had to go into the woods and get drenched in all this rain instead of working in the greenhouse. He won't give you any extra credit now, Leo."

Leo snorted and was promptly smacked in the face by a low lying branch. Cursing darkly in what sounded like Spanish, he replied sarcastically "Yeah, because I'm _dying_ to get extra credit in botany. Fat load of good that would do me when I open my own repair shop. The only thing I'm concerned about is catching a cold. You know its football tryouts tomorrow, Annie, and I just know that bastard Charring is after my position. That good for nothing fucking… _toad!"_

Annabeth hummed in agreement, because really, now that Leo pointed it out, it really was rather unfortunately obvious . "Relax Leo, you've been playing goalie for years. Jason isn't going to kick you out that fast."

"I'd be happy if Jason actually _did_ anything these days." Leo muttered darkly but the blonde didn't have a chance to enquire further as they both emerged out into the clearing, where all her classmates stood, squinting in the light drizzle.

"And Miss. Chase has found it! _Occinum sanctum_!" Professor Merry weather said delightedly surprised, clapping enthusiastically and a few of her classmates joined half-heartedly, only to appease the professor so that they could get back into the warmth of the greenhouse. "And the only one to do so! Marvelous!"

Embarrassed, Annabeth looked around and realized that no one else carried anything but hostile looks and soaked text books. It seemed as though she was the only one who had actually spent the whole lesson scouring the woods for the elusive plant. Her and Leo, who was now shooting her an exaggeratedly patronizing look, which she studiously pretended to ignore even thought he was standing just next to her.

"Now, the _Ocimum sanctum_ is a great medicinal plant, often used to cure sore throats." The professor good naturedly ignored the groans from the students, his few dark wisps of hair completely plastered onto his forward "It is a huge part in the _ayurvedic_ science in India. Now, who can tell me, what it is commonly referred to as in this particular healing science?"

Annabeth scowled when almost all her classmates turned to look at her with bored expressions. She grit her teeth and stared right ahead, determined to not give an answer, even though it was jumping at the tip of her tongue. Professor Merry weather too looked at her expectantly and unable to stomach the Professor's twinkling eyes, she relented.

"Tulsi, Professor. It's from the order Lamiales and is often fragrant."Annabeth decided to get the whole lot of her chest. "Also called Ocimum tenuiflorum or Holy Basil."

"Well said!" And the Professor excused the class. "And Miss. Chase, do leave the plant in the greenhouse. I'll pop into the infirmary in the evening and hand it over to Bea-uh Madam Brown."

Most of the teenagers smirked at the Professor's lapse even thought the damage had already been done last week when Darcy Higgins, a second year from the North, had went to the infirmary with a head ache and caught the two teachers in a rather compromising position. He'd been very severely sworn into secrecy before he left the infirmary with Aspirin, so naturally the whole school knew about it by next morning.

Annabeth turned to Leo as they neared the green house "I'll-"

"Meet you back in cafeteria? Deal ! I'll get you that French soup you like so much." Leo cut in cheerfully and added supposedly as an afterthought "After all, all that trudging around for that useless plant has left me starving."

Annabeth, who'd been about to suggest a rendezvous at the library to work on their calculus homework, rolled her eyes at his poor attempt at subtlety, before pushing open the creaky door of the greenhouse.

She breathed in the heady scent of wet soil and dampness as she headed over to the table to deposit the tulsi. She spotted another one on the table, probably taken by the class before, and was idly wondering which student must have actually went looking for it, when someone cleared their throat behind her.

She whirled around, expecting to see dark green eyes, because Jackson had a habit of cornering her in empty places and positively _devouring_ her. A habit, much frequently occurring and not exactly opposed by her, though it always left her feeling as though she'd just run a sprint. Which, she supposed, was natural. Because some of the things that boy did to her, gods, it left her quivering like a leaf in a storm, completely unaware of anything but him, and the feel and taste of him, the way he would-

"Chase?"

Annabeth was broken out of her wayward spell and looked at the East side boy standing in front of her, glancing at her oddly.

"Uh, hi Ethan. Did you want anything?"Annabeth asked politely, pushing aside the whole fantasy of Jackson which she could venture into in the shower that night. Or maybe right now. Didn't he have a free period right now? All she had to do was stand in his line of vision and bite her lips or something. That for some reason, always made him extra mad, and the resulting encounter in the closet left her with no choice but to run back to the West Tower for a fresh pair of knickers.

"I was wondering if you would like to go with me to the village tomorrow." Ethan brandished a smirk in her direction.

Annabeth, completely stunned, ran her tongue over her lips, oblivious to the dark eyes following the motion intently. She tasted apple from the lip balm and absently recollected that Jackson preferred it much more than the cherry one. Hmmmm.

"Annabeth?" Ethan was looking a lot less confident than earlier.

"Oh right. I was just…thinking-about tomorrow."Annabeth tried for a nonchalant smile. "And I just remembered I'd promised to go shopping for shoes with Piper and Hazel."

She quickly mumbled out an apology before slipping out the door and jogging back to the castle, as thunder reverberated over the fields. She had honestly no idea why she had turned Ethan down in such a graceless manner. He had, after all, been relatively nicely to her compared to the other East siders- that is to say, he did positively nothing to her, good or bad, and was rather attractive in a messy kind of way. But for some unfathomable reason her tongue had decided it had a brain of its own. Then of course, was the whole secret torrid…affair with Jackson.

She shivered in spite of herself in the almost empty corridor. Affair. She hadn't actually put a name to their broom closet shenanigans for the past one month. But then again, that was what they were doing, wasn't it? Hiding around from their friends and lying to the whole school about their torrid, dirty meetings. Affair. There. No need to sugarcoat it. And now with that little matter of Ethan…

…It made her once again question the rules and boundaries of their relationship. It seemed as though Jackson didn't really expect anything from her expect illicit passionate encounters. There weren't any restrictions on them pursuing other people, though that would probably mean the end of whatever they have, and that thought made her feel all funny and cold. After all, she wasn't the cheating type and Jackson…well, he wasn't exactly the committing type, so that chances of him actually going out with a girl was next to impossible. That left the whole future of _them_ in her hands, unless of course he decided he didn't want to see her anymore.

Frustrated beyond belief why that thought left her feeling so cold and…alone, she squashed the ever increasing and confusing feelings for her enemy into the bottom of her stomach before going onto find Leo. He'd better have that soup ready.

 **~0O0~**

"It's okay to look, you know, Sunshine? I admit it myself, I am rather spicy." He grinned at her broadly, pulling out a chair in front of her, and flopping down without an invitation.

"Sunshine?" her gritted response could have frozen over the Great Lake, but the boy only grinned wider, which unsettled her beyond belief.

"Yeah, 'cause I figured, since you seemed like such a happy and all around warm person-"

Calypso stared in shock at the boy in front of her, who now had his scruffy trainers upon the table as he rambled on about something positively ridiculous. The nerve of him! Calypso, in all her sheltered life, had only come across two types of boys in her life- the ones who would flirt with her and the others who'd cower for their lives at the receiving end of her icy glare. This boy though. Fucking ridiculous.

"You broke my pen." She whispered dangerously. It had been a really expensive one, though that wasn't exactly why she was so worked up about it. She's been stewing for about a month and just needed a release to her anger, and this dunderhead who'd stepped on her pen when it had rolled down the table seemed the perfect candidate.

"And a very good pen it was too." he agreed amiably as he bent down low to pick up the pieces. His eyes were warm and brown, like toffee. She immediately pushed that thought aside. "I'm really sorry about that by the way, I honestly had no idea it was the-"

"Fuck off." She snapped shortly, gathering her satchel and getting onto her feet.

"Hey, hey, hey! There's no need for that tone, lady." The boy got up too, coming over to her side with his hands up in surrender. His uniform was had a few oil stains and his left trouser was ripped at the end. "I said, I was sorry-"

"Say it to someone who cares. That pen costs more than your whole house put together, tinkering boy." Calypso spat, feeling the malice spreading through her body "And get your sorry, useless, good for nothing excuse of a person out of my way. I've got important places to be."

She, not having the faintest idea of who he was, had thrown out what she thought were general insults in his face. But one of them must have struck a chord because his eyes lost all the previous warmth and his lips thinned into a fine line. He was glaring at her now.

Never before. Such a boy.

"You know what, _sunshine?_ " he mocked that word now as he stalked closer to her, effectively trapping her against the wall. She hadn't noticed that he was almost an inch taller than her until she felt his curly hair against the top of her head, as he pressed close enough so that only a foot of space remained between them.

His eyes were level with hers though, and she could very easily see the fury in them. She found it hard to breathe in the warmth his body radiated. "You're just a rich spoiled brat who thinks the whole world revolves around her. Better suck up that attitude, _sunshine_ , cause it doesn't do you any favors."

And just as soon as he'd come, he was gone.

He paused a few feet from her, then turned back and shot a pointed looks at the broken pen lying on the table. His lips curled as he spat "Don't worry. I'll write a fucking cheque." And then he was gone.

Shame. She'd always liked toffee.

 **~0O0~**

Ethan Nakamura tossed the football around his feet, warming up for the tryouts that would begin shortly. The sun was obscured by clouds but he could feel the faint warmth just the same.

"Jackson's in a right mood today." Spencer had wandered next to him.

"When is he isn't?" Ethan snorted, glancing back at the tall dark haired figure across the field, yelling at some players. He was a terrifying captain, but was a great player.

"It's ridiculous." his friend continued, watching Ethan play with the football "This stupid obsession with the West."

"Jackson hates Grace." Ethan shrugged, catching the football and tucking it under his arm. "That's no secret. They'd maim each other to death if they got a chance."

"Maybe they like each other." Spencer suggested "Maybe it's all just repressed sexual tension between those two."

Ethan rolled his eyes "Hate to break it to you, Spence, but I don't think he swings that way. He's had almost all the girls in the Academy."

Spencer pouted a bit, his blonde hair falling into his eyes "But he hasn't been seeing anyone recently, has he? Usually he has a different girl with him at lunch every day."

"He has a different girl every meal time, let alone lunch." Ethan grumbled, which was only a slight exaggeration then added venomously "Fucking prick."

"Whoa, whoa! What's got your knickers in a twist?" Spencer laughed and when the dark haired boy just continued to glare at the bleachers in front of him, he hazarded a guess. "How did asking out that girl go? What was her name again, the one from the West?"

"Chase." Ethan grumbled reluctantly "She turned me down, some stupid excuse of shopping with her friends."

Spencer grinned mischievously "So it's the hand in the shower again today, huh?"

"Piss off." Ethan seemed to consider for a moment before spilling the rest of his frustrations "She's fucking hot, you know? And such a prude. That's why I wanted her. It's always the silent ones that go crazy in the sheets. Fuck, I've always wondered what that mouth of her could do-"

"Nothing _you'll_ ever find out." A cold voice spoke from behind them. The boys turned around in shock to find Jackson standing beside them, his green eyes icy.

"So sure of your skill that you think you can get in without practicing, Nakamura?" Jackson's voice was deceptively calm, a taunting smirk on his face. "We'll have to see about that."

There was a dark challenge in those words. Ethan felt his stomach drop to the ground and his skin crawl in the Captain's presence.

"That would be ten rounds around the ground for lacking off." Jackson drawled lazily, turning around and heading back to the center of the field. "Get fucking running."

When Ethan left the tryouts that day, he hadn't made it into the team. But he did have a broken nose from getting hit with a football during playtime. He wondered who had kicked it.

 **~0O0~**

"When are you going to tell Castellan about us?"

Silena closed her eyes and took a deep breath, fighting off the headache that had slowly built up behind her eyes. They were in one of the many unused classrooms in the dungeon, both of them having a free period, lying half naked on a thin blanket on the ice cold floor.

"Soon" she turned and smiled at her lover, her heart twisting uneasily within her chest. Charles frowned, absently trailing a finger across her abdomen, lightly grazing the rough hair between her thighs, which caused her to suck in a breath.

"I don't know, Silena" he murmured softly "This has been going on for too long. I think it's high time we stopped keeping this a secret. I-I really like you a lot."

Silena gulped, staring up at the stone ceiling, her mind churning wildly. Luke and her had been very good friends since their first day at the Academy, two inseparable souls of the West Tower. Then, she wasn't quite sure when exactly it happened, whether it was her joining the cheerleading team or him being a prefect, but they grew apart and Luke…Luke _changed_. He was more closed off and quick to anger and barely shared anything with her anymore. She suspected he was troubled by something at home, his father Hermes and he always did share a rocky history and he was hardly friends with his step brothers, the Stolls.

He never did tell her though. And when he asked her out this year, she jumped at the chance, not because she loved him that way, but because she thought she could get her best friend back again. It had been a futile hope though, as Luke was even more closed off this year, hardly ever around and had to make frequent visits home.

Then Charlie arrived and she felt like the old Silena once again, the childish girl who liked fashion magazines and One direction songs. She'd never realized how much she had changed herself to become Luke's ideal girlfriend. Charlie bought out the little girl in her, made her snort with laughter and was always, _always_ by her side.

"I like you a lot too. You wouldn't believe how much." She said honestly, stoking the slight stubble on his cheeks. "And I'll tell Luke it's over between us once he returns."

Charlie smiled at her and that small curve was enough to send her heart racing and put her mind at ease. Yes, she had fallen for him. Hard.

"Now that's cleared up, why don't we pick up from where we left?" he smirked at her before pulling down the cup of her bra and taking her hard nipple in his mouth. Silena moaned softly as he sucked hard, her breasts being fondled in his rough hands. A moment later, he slipped a finger down into her wet folds, moving it around gently, something she wasn't used to from Luke. There were a lot of things, she realized, that she wasn't used to from her best friend.

When he thrust himself into her in a fluid motion, her screams of pleasure filled the room and neither noticed the figure that had walked away from the slightly ajar door.

 **~0O0~**

 **Happy advanced Eid everyone! Did anyone see Jordindian's 'Fasting and Furious'? Hilariously true ;)**

 **Review, follow, favorite.**

 **Edit: Can't believe I screwed up there. That's just dumb...(Mexican-Spanish)**


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